Blog 3539 – 07.13.2025

Teach Your Children Well

As we count down the days of the last couple of weeks before our brilliant granddaughter Emma Grace turns two years old, my wife and are amazed at how much she already knows and shows. Emma’s favorite TV show is Cocomelon and what a wonderful teaching show it is, taking old familiar children songs and new ones too and making them wonderful learning tools for today’s little ones. Watching Emma sing, dance, and make hand gestures to The Wheels On The Bus and several other wonderful children’s songs on Cocomelon yesterday, made us both so glad and grateful the she was to quote an Old Testament line in the book of Esther, “Born into the kingdom for such a time as this.”

Like most grandparents we love our granddaughter dearly and wish only the highest and best for her. Every grandparent thinks their grandchild is the brightest and most beautiful star in the sky and rightfully so for they are and will live up to the reputation that we set for them. That is the great secret of parenting and grand parenting, giving our young ones something to live up to and not down to. The sixties rock song based on the Cherokee proverb about walking a mile in my moccasins comes to mind. The line goes, “Before you accuse, criticize, and abuse – walk a mile in my shoes.”

Child abuse in all its forms is despicable and heinous, yet we seldom realize that one of the most harmful and hateful form of child abuse is crushing their dreams with negative criticism. The little poem that we were taught as children, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is just not true and never was. The hurtful words especially of those who are supposed to love us affect us far more than broken bones, bruises, or cuts requiring stitches.

Many have come to agree that corporal punishment is child abuse and those who have not yet realized it and still spank their young ones should avoid doing so in public or they might be reported to Child Services for child abuse. To be sure childish and willful behavior can be as source of frustration for parents and grandparents at times, and properly correcting children is tedious, time consuming, and requires patience, but we are the adults and should behave as such offering loving guidance and never accuse, criticize, and abuse our young ones or anyone else for that matter. The constant barrage ACA could maim them emotionally for life.

I close with a favorite song on the subject, Teach Your Children Well.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Teach Your Children (Official Music Video)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Teach Your Children (Official Music Video)