With wisdom which means
Wise words being spoken
- Eric B. & Rakim, “My Melody”
Despite waking up several times during the night, I think this time of parenting is easy. We feed the boy, we play, we change the boy, repeat. But a time is coming when my words and their meaning, not just their tone, will have a lasting impact on him.
Proverbs 4:1 says ‘Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.’
So what kind of wisdom will I pass down to the boy? Well, biblical wisdom is obviously the most important. Things like the Gospel, faith, joy, obedience, and humility. But there’s also a “life wisdom” that’s been shaped by my personal experiences.
Here are four of the many life wisdom lessons I hope to teach him:
COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE
I’ve seen it countless times in all arenas of life: family, work, relationships, band, sports, etc. People don’t communicate, conflicts break out, and the results are almost always bad. With love and tact, be sure to communicate how you feel, what your goals are, what your reservations are. It’s not always easy, but it’s the best and most loving way to deal with people.
KNOW WHEN TO BE FUNNY
I’m a goof. And that reminds me of this one time, my friend Joey was at the ATM with a long line and I yelled out, “Hey Joey, is your PIN still 2041?!” and then we went back to his house at 32413 Maple Ave and… oops, there I go again. Just thinking about my errors in timing brings back the salty, buttery taste of my foot. You gotta be cool and pick the right time to slip the jokes in. A perfectly-timed joke is just smooth.
NO REGRETS, BUT LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKS
I used to be the king of regret. I still sort of am, but that’s usually ‘menu regret’ (a topic for another post). I would dwell on missed or failed opportunities to the point where I could’ve sworn it physically ached me. Despite what we consider failures, God is sovereign and He’s not gonna be like “One coin? Are you serious?… You had your chance and you blew it.” Learn from those low points so you can avoid them next time.
(and i left that ‘e’ out there on purpose. good timing?)
LIFE AND THE TIME WE HAVE IS PRECIOUS
This is something I’m learning more and more. Heck, even reading today about Seth’s near-death experience hammered it home a little more. With all the talk of tithing lately, there’s something you can also give that’s more valuable than money: time. You’ll never get any time back. There are no time tax refunds, no time inheritances, no time lottery.
Now, I plan to have tonnes of playtime and downtime with the boy, but I hope he learns early that when you’re thankful for your time and you give it to God, that He’ll do amazing and unforeseen things with it.
That’s enough for now. I’d love to hear any parenting wisdom about passing on wisdom or any wisdom you hope to pass along when the time comes.
Related posts:
I’ll give some thought to the wisdom thing and share more later. For now – what I am struggling with is to be slow to anger, and quick to listen. Also, realize that disobedience by your child is NOT an attack on your pride so don’t react like it is.
Now on a side note..that YouTube clip might be the funniest thing I have ever seen.
You probably already checked them out, but there are 4 of those videos and they are hi…
larious. They’re quite spot on about the way we paint Jesus sometimes.
I did see them and look forward to checking them all out this weekend. Nice..berry berry nice.
Wooooooooooo!
When we would show them to people, we wondered whether they would get the joke or become highly offended. None offended, but we did get some blank stares.
Cooldad:
You get 6.5 cool points for starting to think about it now. I started a little late I think. Its up to us to teach the little guys how to be men. I have had several very uncomfortable talks with my son, and likely more to come.
Being the example is the hard part. Good plan on the blog…
Kind of along the lines as deemus…definitely adore your wife in front of your son often. It will be the natural thing for him to do one day.
And teach them to look people in the eye when speaking. My mother taught me that and ground it into me as a young girl. It used to make me so mad. But now I get a lot of comments and thanks that I always look people in the eye. They know you’re giving them your undivided attention.
I’ll prob be back with more!
deemus – thanks! i don’t foresee this as being easy as the years go on.
tam – great suggestions! i myself am guilty of avoiding eye contact at times. guess i need to grow up in some areas first!