[453] World Scripture - Parental Love - 3. Educating Children in Their Pare

[대태양/김현수]

Part Four - Family and Society

Chapter - 19. Family

7) Parental Love

3. Educating Children in Their Parents’ Tradition

World Scripture

The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him? No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Genesis 18.17-20

And remember when Luqman said to his son by way of instruction, “O my dear son! Establish worship and enjoin kindness and forbid iniquity, and persevere, whatever may befall you. Lo! That is the steadfast heart of things.” Qur’an 31.17

What any man should provide for his children as a legacy is learning. Other things are not real wealth. Naladiyar 134 (Jainism)

You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 11.18-19

My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
Bind them upon your heart always;
tie them about your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you. 

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.
Proverbs 6.20-23

One should not promise a child to give him something and then not give it to him, because he will thereby teach the child to tell lies. Talmud, Sukkah 46b (Judaism)

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you. 2 Timothy 1.5

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

Bequeath to your children a good tradition that they will continue to follow throughout their lives. (71:19, March 24, 1974)

Parents usually tell their children, “You should become this or that kind of person, and you should do this or that kind of work.” But it is far better to tell them, “You should be a person who knows God.” (11:308, March 5, 1962)

The family is the school of love; it is the most important school in life. The family is where children cultivate the depth and breadth of their heart (shimjung) by receiving an education in love and emotion that only parents can provide. This becomes the foundation stone for building the children’s character. The family is also the school teaching virtues, norms and manners. It is the way of Heaven that academic education, physical education and technical education should be given on the foundation of this primary education of heart and norm.

Parents should be true parents, showering their children with true love. At the same time they should also be true teachers, properly educating their children in heart and moral norms. Though some parents may not be aware their role as teachers, their children still learn from them by imitation. The role of parents is that important. Children develop their character of love and their spiritual nature when they are nurtured by their parents’ true love and when they emulate their parents’ lives of love. (271:80-81, August 22, 1995)

A father should be his child’s best friend. When he comes home, his child should run to him, even if he was playing with a friend. A father should become his child’s best teacher. And he should be the center of heart. (57:282, June 4, 1972)

As parents you should set the right example by your devoted service to God’s Will, and in your daily life of faith and service… By doing so, you are raising children who will respect their parents and not talk back to them, and who will honor their parents by obeying whatever you ask them to do. (31:268, June 4, 1970)

Even a father who lives a life of crime does not tell his children, “I am a robber and a murderer, and you should follow in my footsteps.” No, however evil they may be, parents do not teach their children to be evil. When parents say to their children, “At least you should not be bad,” it implies that they themselves were bad; when they say, “At least you should do well,” it means they themselves did not do well.

It is right that parents invest everything completely for their children; that way they can leave a legacy behind. This is an age-old principle of education. It would be even better if the parents left such an excellent legacy that it should be bequeathed to the society and to the world. If parents act like that, no one will say they are bad parents.

A while ago, I read that some parents left their children in an orphanage to travel around the world. That kind of neglect causes children to become bad. If the parents are always with their children, watching over them and correcting them, they will not become bad. (36:73, November 15, 1970)

Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to live eternally? Then, you should become a public person. When educating your children, do not love them only as your own children. Love them with the heart to offer them for the people of the world. When nursing your child in your bosom, consider yourself the representative of all mothers on this planet earth, and regard your baby as the representative of all humankind. Do not nurse your baby with the heart to love only your child. Rather, be a mother who loves other babies as if they were also yours. Babies nourished with the milk of such a mother will definitely become great people. And if your children do not attain such greatness, it will be a descendant one or two generations later who turns out to be someone who can lead the world. This is a formula. (31:168, 700524)

When you die, there are three things you should leave behind: First, that you lived by the path of the Principle, following God’s Will. Second, that you raised good offspring. Third, that you imparted education to your children that will enable them to achieve greatness in the world. (101:200, October 30, 1978)