Train up a child...
We've all heard the verse from Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it." That verse is usually applied to raising a child in church. If you attend church and raise your child to know about God and Jesus, then when they grow up they will remain in church and raise their children to follow the same path. I believe that is certainly one application of Proverbs 22:6. I do believe that if you consistently set a Godly example for your children, take them to church, develop the fruit of the Spirit within their lives, then they will likely grow up to follow those same teachings.
But there is certainly another interpretation of that verse that I see so clearly in myself, my daughters, and in the children I work with.
Growing up I lived in a nice, middle class home in the country. My mother was a stay-at-home mom with a strong work ethic. Our home was always clean and tidy. She set an excellent example for how to keep a home in such a way that it was welcoming to others. We were never embarrassed by guests who stopped by because our house was always ready to welcome visitors. Clutter bothered my mother, so there was rarely clutter to be found in our home. We didn't struggle with pests because there were no crumbs to feed them. I was raised to do chores that taught me the same housekeeping skills and, as an adult, my own home is generally clean and tidy. Having a home that is clutter-free and sanitary is a value that I have as an adult because I was trained up as a child with that value as an example.
My own daughters were raised for the first several years of their lives in a home that had poverty, drug abuse, neglect, and filth as an example. And that example shows in how they care for their own belongings and space. Left to their own devices, their bedrooms turn into wastelands of clutter, trash, dirty laundry, and filth. In our home we have a once/week cleaning day. We generally do chores on Saturdays, with everyone in the house pitching in to vacuum, mop, dust, and clean. The house looks its very best on Saturdays and deteriorates somewhat as we live in it throughout the week. The girls are required to clean their room to "Mom's Specifications", which means no clutter on the floor, the beds are made, clothes are hung in the closets, toys are put in their proper places and trash is either in the trashcan or emptied in the dumpster outside. But this process is not without complaints and fights. One daughter often complains that it is simply too much to have to pick up her room on Saturdays. I reminded her that if she would just adopt the habit of putting things away after she uses them, Saturdays wouldn't be so overwhelming. Her preference, on the other hand, is to toss things into her room after she uses them. By the weekend her floor is unrecognizable and there is barely a space to walk. This, I'm certain, is the example that was established in her biological home. She was trained up in a home where trash and treasured-belongings coexisted on all surfaces, including the floors. She was trained up in the "way" she should "go" and she hasn't yet departed from it.
I see this pattern clearly in the students with whom I work. They are trained up in poverty, welfare, ignorance, and neglect. Or they are trained up in materialism, love of money, and snobbishness. I meet parents at events and the behavior of their children is easy to spot in the behavior of the parents. These students have certainly been "trained up", one way or the other.
As a parent and teacher, I will continue to do my part to train up my children and students in the way they should go. I will set an example for them to follow and my hope is that they will see a positive path they can choose. And maybe when they are "old" they won't depart from it.
But there is certainly another interpretation of that verse that I see so clearly in myself, my daughters, and in the children I work with.
Growing up I lived in a nice, middle class home in the country. My mother was a stay-at-home mom with a strong work ethic. Our home was always clean and tidy. She set an excellent example for how to keep a home in such a way that it was welcoming to others. We were never embarrassed by guests who stopped by because our house was always ready to welcome visitors. Clutter bothered my mother, so there was rarely clutter to be found in our home. We didn't struggle with pests because there were no crumbs to feed them. I was raised to do chores that taught me the same housekeeping skills and, as an adult, my own home is generally clean and tidy. Having a home that is clutter-free and sanitary is a value that I have as an adult because I was trained up as a child with that value as an example.
My own daughters were raised for the first several years of their lives in a home that had poverty, drug abuse, neglect, and filth as an example. And that example shows in how they care for their own belongings and space. Left to their own devices, their bedrooms turn into wastelands of clutter, trash, dirty laundry, and filth. In our home we have a once/week cleaning day. We generally do chores on Saturdays, with everyone in the house pitching in to vacuum, mop, dust, and clean. The house looks its very best on Saturdays and deteriorates somewhat as we live in it throughout the week. The girls are required to clean their room to "Mom's Specifications", which means no clutter on the floor, the beds are made, clothes are hung in the closets, toys are put in their proper places and trash is either in the trashcan or emptied in the dumpster outside. But this process is not without complaints and fights. One daughter often complains that it is simply too much to have to pick up her room on Saturdays. I reminded her that if she would just adopt the habit of putting things away after she uses them, Saturdays wouldn't be so overwhelming. Her preference, on the other hand, is to toss things into her room after she uses them. By the weekend her floor is unrecognizable and there is barely a space to walk. This, I'm certain, is the example that was established in her biological home. She was trained up in a home where trash and treasured-belongings coexisted on all surfaces, including the floors. She was trained up in the "way" she should "go" and she hasn't yet departed from it.
I see this pattern clearly in the students with whom I work. They are trained up in poverty, welfare, ignorance, and neglect. Or they are trained up in materialism, love of money, and snobbishness. I meet parents at events and the behavior of their children is easy to spot in the behavior of the parents. These students have certainly been "trained up", one way or the other.
As a parent and teacher, I will continue to do my part to train up my children and students in the way they should go. I will set an example for them to follow and my hope is that they will see a positive path they can choose. And maybe when they are "old" they won't depart from it.
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