Parental Care and the trusted source for Child to know

When I talk about best source of information in counseling groups, students will usually say their counselor, a favorite teacher, or friends. These sources can be good sources of information; however, they are not their best source of information. When I ask this question young people rarely come up with the correct answer. The best source of information is their PARENTS. When I offer this answer, I see frowns and kids shaking their heads like, "That can't be true." Well it is most definitely true and, "Why is it true?" I ask. Students never get this answer, either, and it's not because they're stupid. It's simply because they've never been a parent. The reason parents are the best source of information is because they LOVE their children. In fact, they love them so much they drive them crazy always wanting them to do things they don't want to do. They're no fun, and young people feel their parents are out of touch with reality. Youngsters need to understand that the steps to success are often difficult and require them to do things they do not want to do. Parents aren't giving guidance to their children so they'll always have fun. They provide guidance so their kids will be safe, and lead successful lives.

Parents have a huge stake in their children. They dreamed of their presence in their lives. They held their child in their arms at birth, watched their first steps, heard their first words, and prayed for them when they were sick. They pretty much deny themselves so they might attend to their children's needs. Parents sacrifice for their kids like a youngster could never understand until they have their own children. No one on this earth is more concerned about a child's welfare than parents. A parent's love for their children is the strongest force on earth. A youngster's ability to be successful in life will be determined by how successful they are in following that force which in reality is their parent's unconditional love for them.

Of course young people can't see what the future holds; however, they can understand what pit falls might prevent them from having success in the future. Have you ever heard an adult say, usually with a sigh, "If I'd only known then what I know now?" In this statement a person is reflecting on all the wrong steps they had taken, steps which led them to a place in life they wish they could have avoided. It doesn't have to be that way for young people if they understand one simple fact: a youngster's present life is, "then," and their parents are, "now." Every day parents are telling their children about, "now." You don't need to seethe future to knowthe future. Kids simply need to listen, because they are hearing the future every day of their lives. Youngsters who have this information can't say one day, "If I'd only known then what I know now." They can only say, "I knew about, 'now,' but I was too rebellious to believe."

Courtesy: Roger Casterline