Ancient Paths
There are ancient paths. These are old — very old — ways of thinking and doing things that are tried and true. Remember when there was a set bedtime growing up? Or there were particular rules in your household, like meal times, play spaces, or ways to show respect to adults?
We’ve thrown away many tried and true ways in exchange for modernity and trendiness. Our children play outside less, and with other children less too. Children no longer walk to school or carry a lunch pack. These are perhaps relatively trivial things, just as standing for the national anthem or saying the Lord’s Prayer in school every morning are considered trivial and it is much better to have an assembly with a funny story or a funny person presenting.
But what have we lost? Sound and good ways of parenting, living, learning, growing.
What is the evidence? Children on the whole, are less happy, less emotionally healthy, less confident and less safe in our world today than they were in bygone decades.
We need to rekindle old flames
By “old flames”, I don’t mean old love romances — unless you perceive romance as a lovely way to interact, reflect, and live with others around you.
We need to rekindle old ways of thinking that have always worked. For example, eating together is a way that has been tested as a way of holding communication and family relationship together.
We need to live walking along the old, the ancient paths of life in order to raise healthy, secure, happy children.
Some Ancient Paths:
i “No means no”
ii “The child is the father of the man”
iii “It is better to face fear than to run from it”
iv “The family that prays together, stays together”
v “Hardship builds character”
vi “Speak the truth in love”
These are a few adages that come from an older way of thinking than that of today.
Hard work produces character. Character produces maturity. Maturity produces confidence. Confidence produces a healthy, happy, productive human being in society.
Will you contemplate these ancient paths?
Will you consider walking along along an ancient path? Will you consider choosing one or two of these pathways ways of living, engaging with them and putting them into practice as you grow your family?
And may you have plenty of fun as you discover values which might be old and yet, they are new to your family!
Lots of love,
Sarah