(MOV Parent - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

I am so happy that this week gives me a chance to write twice about children and give advice about their future. You can tell, and it’s very obvious, how much I care for and love children.

It seems like yesterday, our first grandchild, Franklin, went to first grade, and last week he graduated from Ohio University.

Then my three granddaughters, Eleni, Nadia and Kiki, just finished their second year in college.

Athena will be graduating from Parkersburg High School next year, and in two years, Calli and Zoe will also be graduating from PHS, and the baby of our family, Ahna, will be finishing sixth grade this year at Hamilton Middle School. How can it be that all my precious grandbabies are now taller than me? It was so much fun buying them baby dolls and playing with them on the floor, and now I have to buy them makeup. I wouldn’t dare try to buy any clothes for them because what I think they would like is not in style.

The safest way is to give them money and let them go and buy what they like, and to avoid returning what we got for them. Of course, my husband is old school, so he still wants to get them surprises, and I cannot change his mind. He doesn’t realize that when we used to buy tennis shoes for our children for $30-40, now brand-name tennis shoes are $100-150 and more.

Many times, I laugh when I ask them how much they pay for their shoes, and they say it was only $100, and I roll my eyes and say, ‘Only?’ At times, I tell them, ‘Do you know how many hours you have to work to pay just for a pair of shoes?’ They just look at me funny.

I guess we tend to spoil our children; they are used to a good life. A good life means living with happiness, peace, and satisfaction in every situation. Of course, it’s very important besides money to have love, health and strong relationships with family and friends. A person who lives a good life is kind, honest and helpful to others and we should always teach them to be and truly appreciate what they have. Helping others is very important, and so is spreading kindness every single day! I also think kids have to earn their own money so they can appreciate it and make them better individuals, and when we constantly give them money, they take it for granted. That’s how life is going to be, and really, that is not how it works. But we should believe in ourselves and keep moving forward, but unfortunately, there’s always going to be challenges and problems. One very important thing we should teach them is to have patience and a positive attitude.

Hard times teach us valuable lessons and make us more confident.

There is so much we can tell our children and teach them as well. If they just listen, we need to prepare them for the life they want to live.

Success does not happen by chance; it comes from discipline and consistent effort. Many will learn from their mistakes as they get ready for new opportunities. It means choosing growth over comfort and action over excuses, where you prepare yourself mentally, physically and emotionally, you become ready for success. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. Before I finish, I want to emphasize that humanity is the quality of being kind, compassionate and caring towards others, which to me is very important.

Small acts of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life. It teaches us to help people in need, treat everyone with respect and support them during difficult times.

And last but not least, we need to teach them forgiveness….When we forgive others, we move anger from our hearts and create peace within ourselves.

Let’s not forget everyone makes mistakes, so people who practice forgiveness often live a more positive and stress-free life. Therefore, forgiveness is a valuable lesson not only for children but also for adults, as well as improving relationships and building trust among people. So you see, there’s so much we can teach our children, and hopefully, they will teach others later on in their lives.

At my age, I still remember what my parents taught me when I was young.

I will never forget when my Dad was upset with me. The only thing he had to do was just look at me straight in the eyes, and I would start crying.

I had two great parents who loved my brother and me unconditionally!

May their memory be eternal!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Till next month.