As we enter the Holy Days, I am reminded that our greatest hope for the future rests with our children. As parents, we have an obligation to teach our children. It is through them that we can and will heal this world.Just as we are taught to model the divine qualities of God, so must we try to teach these qualities to our children.
This is what I have learned.
Omniscience: Although parents surely do not know everything, parental responsibility is to offer guidance and experience. To raise a child means to act as a parent, not a best friend.
Omnipresence: Parents should be fully involved in their children’s lives. Sometimes quantity is more important than quality.
Integrity: Parents must be exceptional role models in the way they speak, the way they act, and the way they treat their fellow human beings.
Purity: You are what you eat. Parents should be mindful of the types of foods they serve their families. Lead by example. “Eat to live,” should be the mantra, not “live to eat.”
Creation: Parents should inculcate productivity and creativity in their children. Television and computers should be only supplemental to appreciating and engaging the natural world.
Compassion: Discipline does not have to mean punishment. Discipline is about teaching your child that there are limits in life, and we can enforce those limits positively and compassionately.
Dr. Ron Nagel is the president of the Los Angeles Pediatric Society, the recipient of six Golden Apple Teaching Awards and a practicing pediatrician.
