Parents' Role: Parents As Interpreters, Part 1

When I was my son Andrew’s soccer coach, I played him as a midfielder. Though he scored an occasional goal, I told him his job was broader than that—he also had to think defensively. But Nathan, his older brother, was a scorer. After one game in which Nathan had scored two goals, he gave the family a very animated description of how he had scored. Near the end of his story, Andrew leaned over to me and whispered: "Dad, I'm not supposed to score goals, am I?" I whispered back: "No, Andrew, your job is to get the ball from our opponents and get it to our scorers." Andrew became content not scoring because success had been defined to match his talents and his role.

The ability to interpret life accurately is fundamental to maturity. People are not so much shaped by circumstances, as they are by their interpretation of those circumstances. When my middle son felt uneasy listening to his older brother’s exploits, I helped him interpret his experience in the light of truth. When your child encounters one of these significant events—scoring a winning goal or unfairly fouling out of a basketball game or striking out with the bases loaded—she may need you to help her interpret these highs and lows.

 

Jesus claimed that the eye is the lamp of the body.  If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. (Matthew 6:22f). One of our jobs as parents is to help our children with their sight. We can take them to the "Eye Doctor" for the corrective lenses that will enlighten their world.