Mi Choza De Nipa

From Focus on the Family Some years ago, my family and I visited the magnificent wild animal preserve known as the Serengeti in Tanzania . It had rained all day and we eventually came to a stretch of road that was almost impassable. At that point, our 17-year-old son, Ryan, volunteered to help. “I’ll run ahead and look at the road,” he said, “and then I’ll wave to let you know which way to go.” Well, the guide who was with us said: “Mmmm, Ryan, I don’t think that’s a very good idea. You just don’t know what might be out there in the tall grass .” Further on, we saw a huge male lion crouched in the grass off to one side. I have thought about that experience many times in reference to today’s children. It is a tough time to grow up. Passage through adolescence can be a perilous journey because of the predators lurking in the grass. Too many teenagers succumb to alcohol , drugs, suicide and violence. It is our responsibility as parents to stay close to them on the muddy ...

Image via Wikipedia By Dr James Dobson Children feel more secure and therefore tend to flourish when they know where the boundaries are. Imagine you're driving a car over Royal Gorge bridge in Colorado . And as a first-time traveller, you're pretty tense as you drive across. Now suppose there were no guard rails on the side of the bridge. Where would you steer the car? Right down the middle of the road. Even though you don't plan to hit those protective railings along the side, you just feel more secure knowing that they're there. It's the same way with children . There is security in defined limits. They need to know precisely what the rules are and who's available to enforce them. When these clear boundaries exist at home, the child lives in utter safety. He never gets in trouble unless he deliberately asks for it. And as long as he stays in those reasonable, well-marked guard rails, there's mirth and freedom and acceptance. This is the ingredient fo...