Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

So what is the true purpose of parenting? Here's a definition I found. Parenting is the process of promoting & supporting the physical, emotional, social, & intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parental figures provide for a child's physical needs, protect them from harm, & impart in them skills & cultural values until they reach adulthood.

OK, the physical needs & protect from harm are like common sense stuff. Unfortunately imparting skills & cultural values doesn't come so natural. Shouldn't parents be more concerned about whether or not their children will be able to function as adults than their unconditional happiness?

Where is all of this coming from you ask. I was watching a blurb on the news the other day about 4 college seniors. They graduated last year and the news program was catching up with them to see how their lives had changed. It didn't give a lot of detail about their social status or anything. From what I could tell they were just average kids from different places in the country. They went to just regular colleges, not ivy league or anything. This is how their lives were going. One student had no idea what to do with himself when he graduated. He had never had a job or balanced a check book. So there he was with a college degree under his belt & couldn't find a job because he had no experience. He looked & looked to no avail. Eventually he got some entry level mail room job. He didn't really like that so he decided to go back to grad school & live off his parents for a few more years. Now what will happen to him when he has his masters? He will be a few years older still with no experience. Hi, this him in the same boat!!! Another student wasn't able to find work & ended up tending bar. Another one found work but ran up credit cards so high & didn't know how to manage his money so he is always broke. I don't remember the other one (sorry). Now I'm not assuming that the parents did a poor job of imparting skills for adulthood. The kids basically said that they were not prepared. They were never given a realistic view of adult life. They thought that the easy-go-lucky lifestyle they had experienced thus far would just carry over. I guess they believe in MAGIC!

What does God have to say about this? Well He says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." I am a firm believer that this is true. It was for me in my life. It has been for other people that I know. Yes, there was a time when I was very far from God. There was a time I behaved very far from the standards set forth by my family. But I came home. Those thoughts, ideas, feelings, & standards were always there in the back of my mind. Now I did my very best to squash them down & ignore them. A strong foundation will remain. One of my favorite dialogues from a movie is a father & son. The son is asking how he will find his way home & the dad answers, "follow your feet." We know the way home. As parents it is crucial that the foundation is strong & the path is made clear. The children will follow their feet. Parents have to make sure their feet are coming from a good place.

When children aren't taught how to be adults all along society shouldn't be shocked when they don't know how to be one. That being said I also truly believe that there comes a time when a person should be held accountable. Each individual reaches a point where they realize there is something different about them or their circumstances. Our job as individuals then is to decide to continue the pattern or learn new skills. Do we move toward a more productive existence or wallow in our inadequacies?