A good teacher not only teach, but also educate. The foremost teachers are parents who show the primary principles and rules for any souls new to this world. Parents can teach by words; they can also educate by words. But it takes tactics and diplomacy to acheived desirable effects. They should neither be too soft nor too rigid. The balance is not easy to keep.
In retropect of my family education, I find that my mother plays a focal role. Before 13, I was every inch a naughty boy, fearless as a calf, wild as a cat and overactive as a crazy little monkey. It sort of makes my hair stand on end to imagine how much trouble such a naughty boy could bring and how unfortunate my mother was then. But my mother did not give up. She tried to discipline me in all kinds of ways.
For instance, she asked me to help her with the cooking and learn by observing, which served as my internship in culinary skills; she required me to take turns with my elder sister to clean the rooms every morning and say to it I did a satisfactory job, which familarized me with the seemingly trivial but actually strenuous houswork; she brought me to do challenging manual labour when I was a little older to deepen my comprehension about the rural life she, my father and their ancesters had been living so as to offer me the opportunity to reflect if that was what I want in my life; she also spared no rod when she suspected I stole something or treated my studies trivially, and that not only shaped my attitude toward things but also molded the most significant core within me— my personality.
Though the earlier memories about corporeal penalities and habitual disciplines carried out by my mother were somewhat bitter, the later fruits are undoubtedly sweet. The saying "Spare the rod, spoil the kid" makes much sense for some generationls in certain historical and social contexts. In fact, the philosophy included in the saying is something of universal value: it sends a strong message to all parents under heaven that kids should not be spoiled.
"Spolied" is a trite expression now, for there are too many spoiled little kings and princesses. "Corrupt" is the right alternative. Parents who fail to discipline and educate their children from the very beginning of their childrens' conscious days are debasing their kids by reconciling them with the easy flaws, and even evils in human nature. Those negative elements include greed, selfishness, rudness, ppugnaciousness, boldness, cunningness and laziness, which are actuallly the SEVEN childish SINS.
Love, like sugar, is a double-edged sword, which can cut as well as corrupt. Parental love is particully so. Loving your kid doesnot mean you should protect them from everything and provide them with everything, in which case you are actually brewing the sugary love cane into a toxic liquid.
Parents are not merely children's protector and guarder, but also their teacher, educator, guider, prosecutor, punisher, and judgers.
Parents play so many roles. They shoulder heavy responsibility; they enjoy great authority; they also live with potential jeopardy.
Parents are just like monarchs possessing advantageous positions and sufficient resources (at least spiritual ones). They can either become saints or turn out to be tyrants. Their children are the continuity of their kingdom.
It is both our luck and our mishap that we dwell in a world where the number of saints and tyrants pales before the number of the mediocre.
"The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World"
Yet to my great surprise and disappointment, I find no one majoy university in the world concentrating on parent education/family displining.
Our world is not serious about family education. But we should be serious. We should draw all possible resources to best possible products in the world—individuals.
