12 Important Lessons for Parents

Educating a child is no easy task. Learn from these 12 important lessons how to educate your children to form a better world and guide them to a life of greater happiness  

Photo by Jude Back on Unsplash

In the education process, it is common to hear parents asking themselves where they went wrong or why have their children taken the wrong paths, far from those idealized by them.

In order to allow more thoughtful reflections on this important topic, we aligned some points of prominence in dealing with children, which are not always taken into account.

Examples at Home

Consider the importance of example at home. The child follows models and the closest and most constant ones are the parents. Those who they live every day during the first phase of their lives.

Discipline

Children are not trinkets to be admired and displayed. They are beings that need discipline and affection for the formation of character from an early age.

Parents' Responsibility

No one replaces parents in their responsibilities to their children. No matter how dignified the professionals are and no matter how well paid, they will never be able to provide the assistance that maternal love and paternal security give them.

Let them Live

Children are not satellites that will remain around their parents, indefinitely. Created for progress, they walk on their own path, with personal attitudes and thoughts. They are immortal spirits, who transit the world, in search of a greater objective.

Money, Work and Cooperation

Children can earn allowances and facilities, however, always with a spirit of justice. And, even though your condition may be abundant, one must not forget the need to encourage them to work and cooperate, as much as possible.

Never Overestimate Them

With the excuse of being intelligent, never encourage them to overestimate their own value, remembering the lessons of correct conduct by the branches of humility, since no one has all knowledge.

Be Impartial

Cultivating preferences, as well as welcoming intrigues, rebuking one, insistently, and failing to correct the other, is a path that can cause misconduct among the children, generating jealousy and disagreement.

Career Choice

Never impose a particular professional career on children, without observing the trends, which must be respected.

Be Honest

Always keep in mind that honest explanations around the world and life are the best way, avoiding surrendering children's minds to superstitions and excesses of fantasies.

No Prejudice

Do not to force the little ones to harbor prejudices, teaching them, on the contrary, to respect the harmony of the differences that the world presents.

Marriage

Do not compel children to marry or stop marrying, or frustrate their freedom of choice for a partner.

Final Thoughts

Let us not forget that, as loving parents and interested in the well-being of our children, they are our partners in this experience.

They may be friendly or opponents. They can be creditors who arrive for adjustments or debtors who knock on the door of affection, asking for forgiveness and help.

But, independently of the circumstances, let us keep in mind that we will meet again in the Greater Life, as brothers and sisters before the unique fatherhood of God.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 9, 2014.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Test of Time

Do you consider yourself happy? Would your happiness stand the test of time?

Photo by Kal Visuals on Unsplash

In the 6th century BC lived Croesus, king of Lydia, the richest man in the world. He ruled with wisdom and arrogance.

In the splendor of his glory, he once hosted Solon, one of the seven sages of Greece in his palace and in order to honor the sage and demonstrate all his power and wealth, the king had a splendid feast prepared. He then invited Solon to visit his treasures: pearls, emeralds, diamonds of all carats, rubies and all sorts of golden statues.

Strangely, Croesus observed that his guest was walking through that immense wealth, with total indifference. And, in the face of the statement which he claimed to be the happiest man in the world for being the richest, the wise sentenced:

My king, no one can ever be considered happy before passing the test of time.

Time is the only component we need to determine if  we are happy or not. After all, it always surprises us with the unexpected.

Life is a succession of events, which completely change our destinies.

Do not forget that happiness is above all that you have.

Croesus did not give any importance to the advice kept increasing his wealth and power.

After some time, however, Cyrus, king of the Persians, marched with his army against Lydia and the king watched, appalled, as the enemy troops entered the palace, killing his best soldiers.

Trapped with his family, he was driven to irons in the capital, now in rubble. Humiliated, he was taken to the central square, tied to a post, on pieces of wood.

When he was about to be burned alive, he recalled as in a flash, the sentence of Solon: No one in the world is happy unless they pass the test of time.

Yes, time had brought him much sadness. His first son - and heir to his throne - had died in a hunting accident, at eighteen. Time had also brought the younger son's deafness and muteness. And now, there he was defeated and humiliated with his wife, his son and the whole court.

What was left of his wealth, which had been savagely plundered by the conquerors? What had been done of his palace, burned by the destroying fate of the winners?

At that moment, he understood that happiness is not having. Happiness is something else.

Happiness is not having

The things of the world are ephemeral.

Assets, from one moment to the next, can be taken away by robbers or carried away by the fury of nature.

If we are now smiling, soon we can be immersed in the sea of ​​tears because an accident robbed us a loved one. Or because Nature rebelled and destroyed our heritage. Or because a terrible disease embraced us and robbed us of the energies of youth, the smile of joy. 

Final Thoughts

Happy is not who has it. Happy is the one who loves because love sings a spring inside the heart.

Naturally, we need money and assets because without a little of everything, we become unbalanced. However, it takes the wisdom to be able to differentiate when you possess thing from whey you are possessed by them. We own money, never the money should own us.

This is a wise posture that gives us tranquility, harmony in living, over time.

Let us think about it and invest in achieving peace and being happy.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on May 08, 2018.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

The Ideal Profession

Would you prefer being happy and work in something you love or be miserable working for money just to satisfy family traditions and external opinions?

Photo by Şahin Sezer Dinçer on Unsplash

One of the most important ingredients in a balanced and happy life is the professional aspect. After all, a substantial portion of human existence is spent on work.

Many choose their activity based on financial results, others take vanity and pride into account. Others are pressured from family traditions and external opinions.

But no one asks or cares about our tastes.

Because of that, many people today seem more condemned to forced labor than free and accomplished professionals. They abhor working days, while anxiously awaiting weekends, holidays and vacations.

Natural aptitudes

Natural aptitudes are a valuable indicator of activities that can be carried out with competence and satisfaction.

Do not forget that material life imposes requirements that must be satisfied. Each one of us has commitments that need to be accounted for.

There are professions suited to each one's character and abilities.

However, it is the nature of human life that we will face problems, challenges and difficulties. It is through coping with those challenges and difficulties that our character is honed and our virtues are asserted and developed.

Those looking for an ideal, well-paid profession, without pressure and free from crises, will not find it. Those who search a perfect job will constantly change jobs without ever being satisfied. Those who think they don't like anything become a burden for relatives and society.

Thus, finding the ideal profession is not a matter of seeking perfection, which does not really exist on Earth, but of identifying something whose accomplishment brings satisfaction.

Wage gaps

Remember that in modern society, wage gaps become smaller.

The most sophisticated professions, which require great preparation, always give rise to higher pay. However, more modest workers are also able to live with dignity.

In this context, personal talent is something to be considered. If there is a possibility, working on something you like will make your life light and pleasant.

Perhaps this job is not considered the best by friends and family. Perhaps it won't make a fortune. But who will play it is up to you to decide what suits you. Furthermore, no one can really stand out by doing something they don't like.

Final Thoughts

Without a vocation for a task, performance will always tend to be average, when not endured. And it's hard to be well paid for doing something you hate.

So, when choosing your profession, pay attention to your talents. Without forgetting practical aspects, look for something that you can do well and with pleasure.

This will make your life simpler and happier!

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on October 08, 2018.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

The poetry of life

Is your heart in life and love or in beauty, money and profit?

Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash

A poet acquired a piece of land in the middle of the mountains. A place to dream, write and inebriate the soul.

He didn't intend to touch anything. God, after all, had made everything so beautiful already. The stream of crystalline water descending from the top of the mountain forming waterfalls and icy backwaters. Ferns, aprons, profuse princess earrings. Green fields, embroidered with tiny flowers. And huge trees where all kinds of flowers grew.

A piece of heaven full of beauty and life.

But in this beautiful place, there was a bad hill. So bad that not even the grass would grow.

The poet looked at that land, apparently useless, and decided to give nature a helping hand.

He thought he could plant pine trees. A forest full of pine trees, with its crowning crowns, arms raised to the sky, as if asking for blessings.

He asked the local people but no one approved the idea. Pine trees, they said, would take a long time to grow. Why even bother planting them? As the poet was not so young, he was told that he would certainly not even see the grown pines.

Furthermore, you cannot cut trees here, they said. It is protected by law and cutting trees is a crime. So why plant pine trees if they cannot be cut? After all, only cut are they worth money as can they be sold.

The poet was advised to plant eucalyptus instead. They grow up fast, and make a profit on the third year.

The poet returned to his home thinking that he and his neighbors were from different worlds.

He was a being from the forest, unhurried, like the seeds placed in the soil. He wanted to see, small and enjoy the colorful and fragrant spectacle of the lush forest.

His neighbors though, only thought of quick profit, money in the bank. They only had commerce and business in mind. That's why they thought that planting an eucalyptus, a tree that can be cut in three years was much more important than a pine tree that cannot be cut in even fifty years!

And the poet reflected that men who only think about profit, lost the meaning and beauty of life.

He remembered those who look at a huge redwood forest and find that property inhabited only by trees is a terrible waste. In their concept, it would be much better to burn the entire forest and transform it into a luxurious condominium.

After thoughtful consideration the poet decided to plant pine trees. Whether he gets to see them grown up or not, it doesn't matter. It is important that he sowed hope and life that will be able to rejoice other eyes and hearts in the future.

Conclusion

Jesus taught us that wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Is your heart in life, beauty or profit?

Do you want a land full of wonders where our children can live, be enchanted and breathe fresh air or you are simply looking for a place to enjoy everything possible, as quickly as you can?

It only depends on you to decide whether to plant pine trees or eucalyptus in the land of your heart. 

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 24, 2017. 

See Also

• Weighted observation
  
• A Thinking Power
• Weighted observation
• Poverty and Wealth
• Divine Poem