Children are such a blessing in our lives. Whether they be our own or perhaps children who need our help and assistance in providing more than simply the bare necessities of life. Every child on this planet needs, and deserves to be loved. They have an undeniable right to be safe  from the many perils which our world presents.

 No child ever asks to be born. But once they are here they most assuredly  have  every right to be protected. That protection is our responsibility. And our duty. Regardless from where any threat to that safety may arise. All too often the threat to their well being comes, not from strangers or from great distances but right in the environment  into which they were first introduced. The abuse or neglect inflicted on the unwanted child by those from whom they have every right to expect tenderness and love is arguably one of the greatest failures of our society.

 Children are defenceless. They trust and they love. They ask for so little. Tenderness, guidance, a return of the love they give so unequivocally ... and time. Time to reach a point in their young lives where they are able to  function on their own. We were given that chance. How dare we deprive them of the same opportunity. Surely  there is a special punishment awaiting those who abandon this awesome moral responsibility.

 Today's world  with it's many pressures has exacted a price from society which defies description. Yes, we are a more affluent people and in many ways our lives are vastly improved, but the price tag has been enormous. We have forfeited far too many  of the values and principles which were a part of our heritage and to our discredit our children are the ones who are paying the bill. 

Quality family time was something we took for granted as we were growing up. Respect for our elders was a given. The fact that this is all too often no longer true is in large measure due to the fact that in order to gain respect one must first offer the same to those from whom we would seek to receive that respect. We teach by example. The consequences of our actions are no more than we deserve. A home where Mommy and Daddy have time to spend those precious moments communicating in a positive manner with their children, and from which they take great pleasure in doing so,  will always produce a young adult whose viewpoint is more positive than that of the youngster who was made to feel like an inconvenient and time consuming appendage it was too much trouble to come to know. The day will come when your busy life is no longer relevant and if you have neglected parenting  in those formative years you will live to regret it I promise you. It takes so little time to open your heart and embrace a child. It takes a lifetime to repair the damage done to the child by withholding that love.

If we hope to see a kinder safer world we would be wise to look inward for the means to achieve these goals. A child's mind is a fertile breeding ground. Seeds sown in the early years yield a bountiful crop. Nurturing with wisdom and love assures that the safeguards against disease or weeds invading that breeding ground will indeed bear fruit. If a child is loved, and knows it, and is taught tolerance and love for their fellow man  by those whom they most trust and respect,  those lessons will stay with them always.

 Take the time to know your child. Listen to them. Yes, even learn from them. No child is born hating or fearful of those who may look different  or have different beliefs. That hatred and fear is taught. And once it is instilled in those youngsters whether by  those they trust most  or through the actions of  others it is too late. If they are not fortified against those perils from a very early age by the love and  good fortune of  having  a wise and caring parent they are defenceless and will succumb to perpetuating the hatred now so rampant in this world we have created.

Our world may have changed drastically since we were children but we all share the responsibility for abandoning the values  we inherited in our quest for all the 'better things in life' at the expense of the welfare of future generations. We must find a way to honour that heritage by changing course before it is too late for not only our children but the generations who hopefully will follow them. If we fail to do so  we leave a world which  could well destroy humanity. And sooner... rather than later.

 So often as I begin to compose  a new page I tell myself, 'make this page  light hearted  and non - controversial. Don't preach. People don't want to think, they want to be entertained.' But invariably  lately  I find myself touching on more serious topics as I see the dangers and  the hatred being propagated around the world escalate with each day that passes. I simply cannot ignore what I see and feel. Perhaps it is  because I now have more time to actually see and understand  as I grow older just how far we have strayed from the world I knew as a child. My hope is that my words might reach into the  heart and the mind of even one other person and that they might also decide that being a silent observer  is contrary to every belief they were taught by that generation who worked so hard to give us a better life where decency, tolerance, and respect for our fellow man were the primary goals  to be achieved.

I do not believe that our God expects or commands that  we judge in His name. To do so is to blaspheme every teaching of our faith as Christians. Those who would have us do so are perhaps guilty of the ultimate sin.  We simply must not allow them to win. For in doing so  we will  ultimately destroy humanity. For the childrens' sake we must not allow  this to happen. They are the future. It is our responsibility to assure that they have the opportunity to enjoy that future freed from the prejudices and rancour  so rampant in our world today.

Those safeguards must begin in the home. Teach your children to love. Not to hate or know fear. Yes, this is a  daunting responsibility but it is one you assumed the very moment you chose to give them life. And it is not one from which you can escape. Those children have an absolute right to expect that you will honour that commitment.

 I take the liberty of paraphrasing a  wonderful and very wise quote from Forest Witcraft which says it all ...