Peace, Love and....Kids

It was the 80's.

Cyndi Lauper was dominating the air waves.

I was in the backseat of the Cutlass Ciera, with my sister, rocking the tube socks.

Not just any tube socks -- the ones with the two stripes at the top. Colored stripes.

We were going over the bridge. Windows down. Breathing in the ocean's saltwater which was lingering in the air. It rushed through my body like the heavy dose of benadryl my mom used to give me to stop my crying. Ok, that last sentence was a joke, but you get where I'm coming from.

We were on the strip in PCB (that's Panama City Beach for all you non-southerners). I remember that night vividly. At every red light, my parents would lean into each other and sneak a kiss. At one particular red light, I remember the kiss lasting through the green, yellow AND red light. "Go!" I yelled as the light turned green (the second time). How disgusting it was as a kid to see my parents making out three feet from my face.

Fast forward twenty-something years. I now realize what it taught me. One word. Love.

You've probably heard the old adage that the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. Guys...write that down. It may sound cliche', but it's a true story. For all my divorced peeps (this one includes me), we have the same responsibility. I'm not saying that we should be snuggling up to an ex. I'm just saying that we are charged with being a good steward and teaching our children love through how we interact with those around us.

Will children always be exposed to the good and never the bad? Realistically, the answer is probably not. There are studies that suggest that some healthy conflict might actually be beneficial. IF, the disagreement is resolved the right way. In my personal opinion, I think that children can sometimes learn from our disagreements and use them as stepping stones to resolve conflicts in their own lives. This doesn't mean that mom & dad are screaming at each other and then hug and make up after they calm down.

Alas, I regress.

The moral of the story is this -- what are we showing our children? Are we loving each other the way God instructs us to? What actions are our children seeing? Are we showing love to our spouse, significant other, neighbor, random strangers, etc. in front of them? It's not always easy and it's not always natural for us to show constant love, especially if it isn't being shown to us. But, it's a goal we should always be striving towards.

After all, they are our future.

John 13:34-35 - “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

KC