The Tri-County Journal
& Chattahoochee Chronicle
PO Box 850, 71 Webb Lane
Buena Vista, GA 31803
229-649-6397
tjournal@alltel.net

   What I’d like to share with you this month is not my usual tidbit of advice. Rather, it is something that was given to me recently that I found to be both challenging and convicting. I wish I knew the original source so that I could give the author the recognition he/she deserves. Please read this, cut it out, and keep it somewhere special so you can read it every once in a while as a reminder of what our children really need from us.
A Child’s Ten Commandments to Parents
   1. My hands are small:  please don’t expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball.  My legs are short:  please slow down so that I can keep up with you.
   2 My eyes have not seen the world as yours have:  please let me explore safely; don’t restrict me unnecessarily.
   3. House work will always be there.  I’m only little for a short time.  Please take time to explain to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.
   4. My feelings are tender:  please be sensitive to my needs:  don’t nag me all day long.  (You wouldn’t want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness.)  Treat me as you would like to be treated.
   5. I’m a special gift from God:  please treasure me as God intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by, and disciplining me in a loving manner.
   6. I need your encouragement and your praise to grow.  Please go easy on the criticism.  Remember you can criticize the thing I do without criticizing me.
   7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself.  Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes.  Then someday I’ll be prepared to make the kinds of decisions life requires of me.