Two of my young friends left for college this weekend and I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t imagine what the mothers of these girls were feeling as they left for the real world. I often wonder about my sons leaving home and I’ll probably need a sedative. Will I have said and done everything I was supposed to? Did I prepare them properly? I always tell myself I have one chance at raising my boys – there is no rewinding the clock. With this in mind, I glanced at the clock and realized it was late and also dark outside. The boys know to be on their way inside when the streetlights come on, so I decided to test them to see just how long they would stay outside. I practically beg them to do the right thing to prevent punishment, but it doesn't work. My dear husband has a habit of protecting the boys from their mother’s wrath, so he used his signature whistle for them to come in, yet his defense backfired because they didn’t answer. Much later, they finally came in. I stared at them without a word as they stood before me. The youngest had a look of guilt and the oldest looked at me as if I was the one with the problem. I don’t expect them to always obey, yet they will have consequences for their actions. When it’s time for my children to leave home, I may not know if they’ll make the right decisions, yet I’ll know I’ve taught them right from wrong. I may not know what the future holds for them, yet I know if I do my part, God will do His – He promised! Just as God corrects us, we must train and correct our children - it only makes them better.
Proverbs 22:15 (NKJV)
"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him."
