New Era Park Neighborhood Association

Love and Teach Your Children Well

Mar 06, 2000

--by Kathleen Davenport

There I was recently, folks, surrounded by the misty, early morning fog in my own backyard, enjoying the silence before the hustle and bustle of the day began., I had sprinkled lots of seed for the wild birds out front, like I do every day. My dog and cat were fed, and now this little piece of time was mine and mine alone.


The smell of fresh, perking coffee drifted out my back door, engulfing my nostrils. I stood in the serenity of my backyard watching the many birds landing on the wires. I took in a cool, deep breath and gave thanks for this glorious day.


All of a sudden, I heard a strange noise from over my fence. In a panic, the birds flew away, then relanded, only to do it again and again. I hurried up to the back porch to see what was going on. To my amazement, I saw a young, brown-haired boy throwing rocks up at the birds. I believe he actually hit one or them before I yelled to him to stop. I went on to tell him that those birds did not hurt him in any way, so please just let them be.


The boy turned and looked at me with such a painful expression on his face. I was torn between wanting to cradle him in my arms and giving him comfort to sending him to his room. But of course, I did neither. After all, he was a stranger. All I was legally able to do was watch him slowly walk away with his little head hung down as far as he could hang it.


Have we allowed ourselves to become so consumed by material wants that we have lost sight of what is more valuable than platinum? Children are our most precious, natural resource. Investing time with our children allows us to teach them respect and compassion for all living things. We dare not neglect their needs as they are indeed the future of our world.


Love, family, and compassion for others are the keys to a happy life. Love matters more than anything! Everything else will follow if we just open our hearts and allow love to come in. We must love and teach our children well, keeping in mind that the lessons they learn from us today will be passed on to their own offspring tomorrow.