| I'm not talking about the alphabet, or math, | | | | not around anymore and he has questions that |
| although creativity in those areas will probably | | | | need answers. What an opportunity to begin |
| make learning much more fun. What I'm talking | | | | teaching him about eternity and Christ's gift of |
| about here, is life lessons. I'm talking about the | | | | salvation. Not sure what brought up the topic, but |
| kind of lessons that your children will never learn | | | | the other day my son who is now 4 years old, |
| in school. There are moments when we are just | | | | just out of the blue said, "I think Pa-Paw is in |
| going through our routine of doing "life" when | | | | heaven putting together a race track for me. I |
| teaching opportunities will present themselves. | | | | like heaven because there are no diseases there |
| Most of the time we blow right by those | | | | and I don't like diseases." This statement tells me |
| moments and miss those prime opportunities to | | | | volumes about his understanding of Pa-Paw's |
| teach our children some powerful lessons. | | | | death. He understands: |
| Let me give you an example of a time when I | | | | 1. If Pa-Paw was here, he would be in the floor |
| used a dead deer to teach my 3 year old son | | | | with him playing with the new race car set he got |
| about the dangers of playing in the street. We live | | | | for Christmas. |
| in an area that was once considered the | | | | 2. Pa-Paw was sick but now he's not anymore |
| "country." It is quickly becoming a large suburban | | | | 3. Pa-Paw is now in heaven |
| area now, but we still have deer running through | | | | 4. Someday, he'll see Pa-Paw again and when he |
| our neighborhood on a consistent basis. One | | | | does, he won't be sick and wearing an oxygen |
| Sunday morning as I left for church, I noticed a | | | | mask anymore. |
| small deer lying in our drainage ditch. Apparently, it | | | | 5. And of course, when he gets to heaven |
| had been hit by a car over night. I thought to | | | | Pa-Paw will have an awesome race car track set |
| myself, when I come home from church I'm | | | | up for him |
| going to use this as an opportunity to teach my | | | | He understands, because we take every |
| young toddler what can happen if you play in the | | | | opportunity we can to teach him things as we |
| road. | | | | just go through our daily routine. Trust me, the |
| So, when we got home from church, I pulled into | | | | lessons are there, you just have to look for |
| the driveway and while Mom went into the house, | | | | them. One day I saw a girl who couldn't have |
| my son and I headed for the drainage ditch. I | | | | been more than 12 or 13 years old stopped by a |
| showed him the deer and explained to him that | | | | security guard as she was leaving the mall. She |
| the baby deer had been playing in the street and | | | | had been caught shoplifting. If I would have had |
| as a result had been hit by a car and killed. I will | | | | children with me at the time, trust me I would |
| never forget the look in my toddler's eyes as he | | | | have been all over that one. Every day is full of |
| stared at the dead baby deer. Needless to say, it | | | | moments just like these. |
| left a lasting impression on him. Of course, when I | | | | You can even be creative by planning events for |
| went in the house and explained to my wife this | | | | the sole purpose of teaching your children. For |
| ingenious lesson I had just taught our son, she | | | | example, if you have teenagers, take them to |
| was not as excited as I was. Most of you moms | | | | divorce court one day and let them see first hand |
| are probably in her corner on this one. Most of | | | | the hefty price tag families pay for divorce. |
| you dads, however, are thinking what an | | | | Spending an afternoon in an emergency room or |
| awesome idea and will be on the lookout for | | | | volunteering at a hospital is a great way to teach |
| road-kill. | | | | them lessons on the frailty of life and how |
| Did I go a little far on this one? I don't know. All I | | | | important it is to make every moment count. If |
| know, is we have never had an issue with our | | | | you live in an affluent neighborhood, take a trip |
| son playing in the street. I still believe it was a | | | | through a neighborhood that is not affluent. That |
| great way to teach my son a very important | | | | creates an awesome opportunity to discuss the |
| lesson and I don't think he is scarred for life. The | | | | importance of being content with what you have. |
| fact is, death is real and we can either try to | | | | If you live in an area stricken with poverty, take |
| shelter our kids from it or use it to teach them | | | | a trip through an affluent neighborhood and teach |
| about the value of life and the finality of death. | | | | your children to dream while discussing the pitfalls |
| Incidentally, my son lost his grandfather, just a | | | | of being materialistic. The sky is the limit and the |
| couple of months after the "dead deer" lesson. No | | | | lessons are unending. The key is to just be |
| way to shelter him from death here. Pa-Paw is | | | | creative. |