October 2009 Letter from the publisher
Basic ‘life skills’
What’s worse than child abuse? Not much, and to a parent reading this magazine I believe all would hold the thought to be abhorrent. Now here’s an interesting question. How many parents who would never in a million years abuse their kids regularly neglect them?
I am not talking about the legal definition of child neglect. I am talking about not taking time nor making the mundane daily effort to connect with our kids. Life is crazy, the economy is shaky and there seems to be more “macro uncertainty” now than at any time in recent memory. This is precisely why it is so important to make the daily investment in our children.
“My plea is that as parents, we make the effort to daily be engaged parents. Yes it takes time. Make the time.”
I recently heard an interview on the radio about a program for homeless youth who are making the transition from government welfare to living independently. The program teaches basic life skills. For example, the youth learn how to budget or do their laundry or fill out a job application. The host of the show then said, ‘well that sounds like stuff that most teenagers need to learn anyway’.
Of course he was right all children need to learn basic ‘life skills’. Ideally it is the parents of the child who have the first opportunity to teach these skills. My plea is that as parents, we make the effort to daily be engaged parents. Yes it takes time. Make the time.
Best regards,
Mark Sherwood, Publisher