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The Bible speaks about newly saved persons and how they should desire to hear the preached Word of God. What we should understand by this scripture verse is that God is giving us an example that is easy to relate to, when it comes to how people should raise their children.

1 Peter 2:2 - As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.

Let's look at any newborn baby. As soon as he exits the womb and is cleaned off, that newborn baby is placed to his mother's breast. Immediately or with a little bit of help, the newborn instinctively latches onto the breast and begins feeding. He does not have to be taught to desire milk. It is innate. It is natural. From that moment on the baby will feed on milk. You do not have to beg the baby to feed on milk or in any way convince the baby that it needs milk. The baby takes what it needs in order to grow and develop.

Likewise, Christians should desire above all to hear the Word of God and feed on the Word of God. As much as music and dance is a wonderful part of our worship experience, the Bible does not focus on them when it comes to how a new Christian will grow and develop. For a new Christian (really any Christian) to be more impressed and taken up with anything outside of the Word of God will result in malnutrition and possible disease.

Hopefully with the two aforementioned examples, we understand how important it is to be very careful about what we feed our children.

The right words

So, let me take another perspective regarding feeding our children. My concern is how we speak to our children. In other words, what do we feed into their minds. Now what we must keep in mind is that our children will not always be at home. No, there is a world out there where they will have to compete with a whole lot of other children. Very often, the success of any child depends on how that child has been fed. Let me give a few examples.

Do we feed our children with sentences using broken language or even local vernacular that will have them at a distinct disadvantage in school here and abroad?

Do we feed our children positive words?

Do we feed our children with music containing flagrantly profane language that directly contradicts how they will be taught in school?

The importance of education can never be underestimated. Bermuda, we are about to usher in yet another education curriculum. Having taught in the education system for nineteen years, I am figuratively leaping for joy because I do not have to be a part of another experiment. (I do so hope that this one is all it is touted to be.)

Then something happened. I stopped "leaping" because I have a daughter who is still in Primary School. I was thinking about how her educational progress will be affected. I thought about it for a bit more and I realized something. I realized that my two older daughters have come through the system fine. Yes, even though the current curriculum has been judged as superficial and below standard, they have done well. Why is that? How could the two older girls have done well in a curriculum that has been vastly criticized?

Well, I conclude that it is not the curriculum that will establish the success or failure of a student. It is the care that is given to that child from the moment of birth. Every child has a natural ability to learn. Outside of the struggles associated with physical and genetic disabilities, it is amazing to consider:

All babies are feeding by the time they leave the hospital.

All babies are walking at about one year or so.

What does this say? This tells me that the pace of physical development does not change much when comparing children.

Yet, if we then take a leap to preschool age and beyond, we see a vast difference in the intellectual development of children. Why? It all depends on how they have been intellectually fed in the different homes.

Is proper English spoken? Is there proper communication between parent and child? (I cannot tell you how shocked I am when I hear a parent curse at his child or call him a derogatory name.) Is the parent reading to the child? What is this child hearing at home? What is this child being fed over the airwaves in the home?

Parents, we are grooming our children to fail or succeed no matter what the school curriculum is. We must determine that we will not wait for the schools to make a success of our child. No, our child must already know that he/she "has it going on", Educationally, before he/she leaves home.

I am not too concerned about the latest curriculum. I have seen them come and I have seen them go. I have watched students show brilliance and I have watched students perform pitifully with them all.

We may get it one day. Our focus must really begin at home. When healthy students leave home, healthy students will return home from their schools. Children naturally desire to learn. It is what takes place in the home that will keep them desiring to learn more or turn them into little human beings who do not care a lick about learning. Respice finem.[[In-content Ad]]

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