Are You Raising One of the Next Generation of Hoodlums – TEACHING THANKFULNESS
As we move closer to the season of Thanksgiving, giving thanks is on a lot of our minds during these waning days of October, and even more so as Thanksgiving grows closer. And for parents and guardians who are in the process of rearing black boys, this is an ideal time to assess whether or not you are raising them so that you can be thankful for and appreciate spending time with them. Since this is a personal assessment, honesty with yourself is necessary.
As part of your personal assessment, you might ask yourself and answer the following questions:
- Do I honestly look forward to spending time with my son?
- Do I get upset when school closes for unplanned reasons and I must monitor my own son?
- Is my so respectful and obedient that it is a pleasure to be in his company?
These are just a few assessment queries. There are numerous others that can assist you to determine if you are raising your child in such a way that you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is certainly unlikely to be numbered one of the next generation of hoodlums. All children are born precious and anxious to please. You see, hoodlums are not born. They are made. And they don’t make themselves.
God allows the vast majority of babies to be born normal and healthy. And what takes place in each boy’s life during early childhood and adolescence will determine, to a significant degree, whether or not he (or she) becomes one of the next generation of hoodlums.
Children who are loved and nurtured and consistently involved in positive, age-appropriate activities usually continue to be healthy and normal as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood. However, boys who are left to their own devices, boys without proper supervision and/or nurturing, boys who are browbeaten and talked negatively to with regularity, are a lot more likely to land in this unsavory category.
Parents: take the time to give your sons what the old timers referred to back in the day as hometraining. Teach them to answer their elders respectfully and to always show respect to them. Special note: Readers are invited to visit www.untealthen.com
