Galen Shotts

Raising Kids Galen Shotts

The ultimate purpose in having and raising a child is so that the kid might one day be a responsible, independent adult, capable of handling most situations; a person who contributes to the society they are in. There are no absolutes in dealing with children but everyone agrees on some simple rules that make child rearing work. Some adjustments must be made because what works wonders for one child may have no effect on another. I have literally dealt with thousands of teens from sixth grade through adult school, as well as middle school and high school Sunday Schoolers, and spoken with just as many parents: no two humans of any age are alike. "There is no particular guide on being a good parent. Good parenting is determined by the parent and child....," one teen said. Another added, "Being a parent comes with lots of responsibility and practice."A boy said, "It is possible for anyone to have a child but much harder to be considered a parent. To properly raise and guide a child into its adulthood so that it can take on the world some day, is a commitment that comes with no guidelines."A 15 year-old noted, "To be a parent is to commit to a full time job.""To be a good parent takes a lot of sacrifices and hard decisions," another added."Once a child is brought into the world, someone else is taking on an occupation, time, and a big responsibility," a boy noted. Listening to teens respond like this over more than four decades gave me insight into what works and doesn't work for raising children and it better prepared me for when I, too, joined the ranks of parents. Fortunately, students and parents alike were quick to add that no parent is perfect and that I would make mistakes in raising children. My kids made sure I knew when those mistakes were made.