What Kind of Adults Am I Raising?
I've been thinking about the future recently and what I can do about it. I watch these tiny humans communicate, interact, and discover the world and their interests. I ask myself the question, what kind of adults do I want them to be?
So I made a list, which, of course, is unfinished.
Christian. I wanna see them in Heaven. Additionally, the Holy Spirit's work will sanctify and transform them into good humans.
Self-controlled. An uphill battle with toddlers.
Self-reliant. As much as I love them, they can't live with us forever. They have to be capable adults, however hard it may be.
Loving, wanting the good for others.
Patient. Something I don't naturally possess in abundance.
Kind, more than nice. Niceness doesn't call things out.
Gentle.
Humble because that's the only way you truly grow.
Curious. That gets you involved in the world. I'm always pointing stuff out. When we're in a car or public, there are no screens. Instead, I field a million questions, or they point stuff out to me that they see.
Readers. Getting that software update for their brain.
Clean, not looking like a slob. Not fancy, I'm not that, but groomed. Suppose they want to be hoity-toity, fine.
Wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Not blindly obedient. This is the minefield I traverse now. I want them to listen to their teachers but also be discerning in case the teacher tries to teach something foolish.
Dangerous, but good. The more capable they are, the less I'll worry. Well, that's the lie I tell myself. I'll still worry.
With the end goal in mind, I now need to plan how to achieve it while also allowing their personalities to develop.
"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6