Recently, upon hearing of the imminent birth of a former student's baby, I said, "They will find this will be the most challenging undertaking of their lives." As I observed parenting, I have seen parents experience the greatest joys, the most heart-wrenching sorrows, days of delight, and evenings consumed with worry over life-threatening illness because of their precious children.
Thinking of that conversation caused me to pull from my digital writing files a manuscript inspired when I played for the wedding of one of Shannon Pease Lockett's sons. I met Shannon when she and George, her brother, enrolled in school at Ralston. Even though their father had died years earlier, as an upper elementary student, I knew they must miss him. Shannon reflected a cheerful attitude even as a new student in our school. I didn't interact with Little George much (It's ironic how wide the age gap is between an upper elementary student and a primary student!) It seemed he usually walked through the hallway with determination as if to convey he would rise above their family's grief and make a difference.
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| School Photo of Shannon - hearkens back to days when school friends exchanged photos. |
Learning
to Parent from Swallows
A friend
asked me to play the organ at her son’s summer wedding. One afternoon I stood
under her church’s front portico awaiting her arrival so I could practice the church's organ.
Soon I
heard agitated sounds coming from the apex of the portico. I glanced upward to
observe elongated nests constructed of mud lining the eaves of the portico. I
began watching those swallows. Even though I pressed my body as close to the
building as possible, I was still regarded as a threat to the swallows
and their young. The adult birds began diving quite close to my head. I braved
their onslaught as they tried to remove me from the near proximity of their nests. Momentarily my friend arrived quickly opening
the church’s front entry.
I
reflected on the determined swallows. Instantly I began drawing a comparison
between parents of children and the aviary parents of those young
hatchlings.
First,
the swallows protected tenaciously their young. How frequently I observed parents of young children only half-heartedly attempting to protect their
little ones from the evil assaults waged against them! Perhaps even more
detrimental to nurturing strong kids are parents talking superficially of their
love, concern, and diligence in rearing their offspring only to see their
parental actions belying this fact.
Repeatedly
I hear the attitude echoing “You can’t protect them from everything” so parents stand by as their treasured children spiral into a mire of immorality along with
undisciplined behavior devoid of any character training. Those swallows
were unyielding in their endeavor to protect their helpless baby birds against
a human giant invading the safe territory of the swallow nest. The small creatures were undaunted by the immense battle to
safeguard their nests.
Finally,
the swallows had the protection and welfare of those fledgling young ones as
their top priority. The adult birds unrelentingly waged “war” on me as an
unwelcome presence in their habitat. The defense of the helpless ones in the
hanging mud nests superseded all other aspects of the birds’ existence.
What can
parents of the 21st century learn from frail swallows? Be vigilant in protecting your child from
the deluge of evil online predators and the bombardment of shallow
commercialism seeking to strip your child of time-honored values. Model for
your child a life free of conformity to and influence by social media. Commit to
the long haul of parenting. Do not become
weary. Accept your responsibility as a parent, realizing if your poor choices
lead to failure at that God-given task, all other successes in life pale, leaving you
with heartache that time can seldom heal.
Watch
the fragile swallow and take away lessons to empower you as a parent. Then you
will rear children with character able to soar above a society of wickedness,
stress, and compromise. The hard work of the present will reap abundant rewards
in the future.
Galatians 6:9 “So we must
not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t
give up.”
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