Raising kids in a chaotic world
Between my wife and I, only one of our parents remains. Our children have given us six grandchildren. There are four generations of us alive now. This branch of the Wood vine is multiplying.
My Mom and Dad had three kids and thought they were done. Then thirteen years later, a surprise—identical twins! It was like starting over. When my Mom was young, her family moved from Texas to Georgia by railroad coach. The smoke of the train engine irritated her lungs. She developed whooping cough, then asthma. Dad was born in Georgia from parents who remembered the Civil War. Mom and Dad met and moved to Florida, where I was born. Dad found work in the phosphate mining industry and became the plant superintendent.
My childhood was wonderful. We lived in rural Florida with pine trees, moss-draped oaks, palmettos, cypress trees in swamps, armadillos, rattlesnakes, and alligators. We hunted deer, dove, quail, and fished for bream, bass, and catfish. I found shark’s teeth and arrowheads. I was the definition of a “free range” child. The neighbors on our road watched out for each other’s kids. Dad worked hard at the mine. Mom made the meals and kept house. Mom made sure my brother and I were in church but Dad said the church was for women.
From Mom, I learned about love and sacrifice. She believed in God, read the Bible, and prayed for us. She taught us to enjoy church and to cherish the Scriptures. Dad believed in God but didn’t acknowledge Jesus as Lord until late in life. Mom and Dad required the kids show respect, be obedient and honest. I grew up loving the truth. I could not tell a lie! From Dad, I learned about being a reliable worker, building a great team to accomplish a task, and perseverance. Dad took us boys fishing. When the phosphate pits were clear, they teemed with wildlife. He taught me to drive on sandy roads. For school, my brother and I had to ride two different school buses into town. Later I worked to pay off the .22 rifle I’d bought, then kept working to pay off the motorcycle I’d bought so I could work. That motorcycle became my transportation to school and was the occasion when I first heard the Lord’s voice. He sent an angel to warn me of danger on the road ahead. It saved my life.
Today I see children who are apparently learning about life from television, not parents. Who is raising the kids? What values are they absorbing? These kids know more about electronic games than they do the real people who once mattered in America. They don’t have a clue about the history of the world or how we got our system of government or the story of God’s people in the Bible. Sadly, most kids have never seen an adult bow their head to give thanks to the Lord. No parent prays blessings over them at bedtime. No one sits and reads aloud to the family from the Bible—or any other good book. Many homes don’t have family meal time anymore, nor family discussions. The community, safety, and identity of the traditional family are vanishing. A vacuum of vital relationships is gutting our emerging culture of its core values.
Are we better off for it? I don’t think so. An old-fashioned marriage is still the best setting for children. Schools can teach knowledge but only parents can train children in the wisdom needed for success in life.
— Ron Wood is a writer and minister. Contact him at wood.stone.ron@gmail. com or visit www.touchedbygrace.org. The opinions expressed are those of the author.