I Want To Talk About Parenting
Killing One's Child
The child tried to do. He tried to do well. When finished, he smiled, proud of his accomplishment; and beaming with excitement, he sought his daddy's approval.
"You missed a spot," Daddy said.
Undaunted by the response, the boy tried harder during his next attempt to please him of whom he sought approval. This time his work was better. Certainly, I will please Dad, he believed when he presented the result of his effort.
"You should have done this," Dad said.
The boy's countenance sank, but his determination strengthened while he strove again to win his dad's favor. This time, the teenager paid attention to details, seeking to eliminate conceivable problems his mind imagined might occur. When finished, he smiled with a feeling of success concerning his work. This time father would approve.
"It has to be better if you want to succeed," Father said.
The product was not good enough again. He must do better. Determined to please, the young man planned before tackling the task at hand. He slowed down his pace while working, correcting the potential flaws he thought his father would see. Worried he would fail, he stopped to survey his work in progress and to check his performance to ensure that no fault would be uncovered. After what seemed an eternity, he finished what he considered a flawless product, and presented this to his father.
"You'll never get there like that," Father said.
At the end of every task, the male parent always pointed to some fault. Nothing the younger man accomplished was ever good enough. Even in education and jobs, he failed to please the elder. Every course of study was the wrong choice. Every journey on a career path was the wrong way.
"You won't succeed at that," rang in the son's ears at every turn. "You should be this. You should be that. You should do this. You should do that. You didn't do this. You didn't do that. You haven't made anything useful of yourself. You should have done such and such when you had a chance. It's too late for you now. No one is going to want you at this point in your life."
One golden afternoon, the son walked along the mountain ridge he had traveled a thousand times. He stopped and pondered about an eagle he saw gliding in the azure sky. The avian was free. It lived, going about its activities without thinking how it would catch its next fish, build its nest, attract its mate, or feed its offspring. The eagle acted on instinct, and instinct served it well. The bird is fortunate, he said. It neither toils nor spins, yet it has all it needs.
From his perch on the ridge, the middle-age son looked at the surrounding mountains nestled under a blanket of green forest. The peaceful scene, a serene painting, beckoned him to step into its picture, so he threw himself off the cliff. His gray haired father, who had been watching from a distance, looked at the mangled body, broken on the jagged rocks.
"You were supposed to perform a double twist and triple back-flip on the way down, son. Will you ever learn? Will you ever get it right?"
Legion, author
copyright Autumn 2005
Fathers, do not exasperate (NASB) / embitter (NIV) your children, so that they will not lose heart (NASB) / or they will become discouraged (NIV).
The Holy Bible, Colossians 3:21
🎄 Merry Christmas everyone. 🎄
🌨🌨🌨🎆🌨🌨🌨
✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
🎁📯🍷☃️❄️🛍🔔
The child tried to do. He tried to do well. When finished, he smiled, proud of his accomplishment; and beaming with excitement, he sought his daddy's approval.
"You missed a spot," Daddy said.
Undaunted by the response, the boy tried harder during his next attempt to please him of whom he sought approval. This time his work was better. Certainly, I will please Dad, he believed when he presented the result of his effort.
"You should have done this," Dad said.
The boy's countenance sank, but his determination strengthened while he strove again to win his dad's favor. This time, the teenager paid attention to details, seeking to eliminate conceivable problems his mind imagined might occur. When finished, he smiled with a feeling of success concerning his work. This time father would approve.
"It has to be better if you want to succeed," Father said.
The product was not good enough again. He must do better. Determined to please, the young man planned before tackling the task at hand. He slowed down his pace while working, correcting the potential flaws he thought his father would see. Worried he would fail, he stopped to survey his work in progress and to check his performance to ensure that no fault would be uncovered. After what seemed an eternity, he finished what he considered a flawless product, and presented this to his father.
"You'll never get there like that," Father said.
At the end of every task, the male parent always pointed to some fault. Nothing the younger man accomplished was ever good enough. Even in education and jobs, he failed to please the elder. Every course of study was the wrong choice. Every journey on a career path was the wrong way.
"You won't succeed at that," rang in the son's ears at every turn. "You should be this. You should be that. You should do this. You should do that. You didn't do this. You didn't do that. You haven't made anything useful of yourself. You should have done such and such when you had a chance. It's too late for you now. No one is going to want you at this point in your life."
One golden afternoon, the son walked along the mountain ridge he had traveled a thousand times. He stopped and pondered about an eagle he saw gliding in the azure sky. The avian was free. It lived, going about its activities without thinking how it would catch its next fish, build its nest, attract its mate, or feed its offspring. The eagle acted on instinct, and instinct served it well. The bird is fortunate, he said. It neither toils nor spins, yet it has all it needs.
From his perch on the ridge, the middle-age son looked at the surrounding mountains nestled under a blanket of green forest. The peaceful scene, a serene painting, beckoned him to step into its picture, so he threw himself off the cliff. His gray haired father, who had been watching from a distance, looked at the mangled body, broken on the jagged rocks.
"You were supposed to perform a double twist and triple back-flip on the way down, son. Will you ever learn? Will you ever get it right?"
Legion, author
copyright Autumn 2005
Fathers, do not exasperate (NASB) / embitter (NIV) your children, so that they will not lose heart (NASB) / or they will become discouraged (NIV).
The Holy Bible, Colossians 3:21
🎄 Merry Christmas everyone. 🎄
🌨🌨🌨🎆🌨🌨🌨
✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
🎁📯🍷☃️❄️🛍🔔
70-79, M
