Proverbs 15:20

A wise man makes a father glad; but a foolish man despises his mother.

Am I right in thinking that when most of us read the above passage our mind goes immediately to our children; or do you think about your parents? Many of us have already lost a parent or both and most of us have grown children; so, at least for me, when I read a verse about the relationships between parents and children, my mind always puts myself into the parenting role.

This verse is obviously written to the child (even grown children); but I still think much of it goes back to parenting. My grown children and I have discussed on numerous occasions that I am the stronger disciplinarian. (They do not share the same father as Stephen.) I am more strict on what I allow them to do, the amount of respect that they have to show for me and the amount that I require of them. YET, in spite of that, I am the parent that they are closest to emotionally. I think it is our job as parents to make it so that our children WANT to make us glad. It is our job to make our children NOT despise us. And being 'a cool parent-friend' doesn't do the trick.

Does that mean that our children will always do what they were supposed to do when they grow up? Nope. All of us that are in this group that I talk to on a regular basis have 'way-ward' children. Some more wayward than others right now. When they grow old they just might depart from the correct teaching. That is their choice. But, somehow, deep inside if they were reared correctly, something tells me that they don't despise you. They probably respect you--but are too stubborn to show it.

Today, if your parents are still living, perhaps you could go out of your way to bring a smile to their face. Just do something out of the blue. Then you could do the same for your children. And especially, pray for them. Always. Without ceasing.