Children will listen

No parent can protect or teach a child perfectly. No matter how hard you try, no matter how intelligent or wonderful or loving you are… you have to accept the fact that you will have both a positive and a negative influence on your child. You will inflict wounds when you most want to protect them. You will confuse them when you most want to enlighten them. You will unwittingly chain them when you want to set them free.

What is beyond your capacity or ability cannot be held accountable against you. But that does not remove the fact that you cannot but have harmed your child, even when you try your absolute best not to. But is that so surprising? You are a human being in a human relationship with another human being. There will always be mistakes. Many of which you may not even be able to recognize without supernatural grace.

But that doesn’t mean you have to be afraid. For when you truly love your children, there will be grace. Live and learn along with them and from them. Set them free to live their lives, for that is what love does. Let them learn to love you as free individuals, and forgive you for the wounds that have come from you both wittingly and unwittingly.

Dad, Mom, I forgive you from the bottom of my heart for everything you realize and do not realize you have done to hurt me. With God’s grace, I will continue to forgive you for any hurt that still may come, for the rest of my life. In turn I pray that you will forgive me for the many ways that I have hurt and rejected you, or failed to honour and respect you.

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Sometimes a song just strikes at my heart. Like this one. I hope you parents out there especially will enjoy it.

CHILDREN WILL LISTEN

How do you say to your child in the night
Nothing is all black but then nothing is all white?
How do you say it will all be alright
When you know that it mightn’t be true?
What do you do?

Careful the things you say,
Children will listen.
Careful the things you do,
Children will see.
And learn.
Children may not obey,
But children will listen.
Children will look to you
For which way to turn,
To learn what to be.
Careful before you say,
Listen to me.
Children will listen.

Careful the wish you make,
Wishes are children.
Careful the path they take,
Wishes come true,
Not free.
Careful the spell you cast,
Not just on children.
Sometimes the spell may last
Past what you can see
And turn against you…

Careful the tale you tell.
That is the spell.
Children will listen…

How can you say to a child who’s in flight,
Don’t slip away and I won’t hold so tight?
What can you say that no matter how slight won’t be misunderstood?
What do you leave to your child when you’re dead
Only what ever you put in its head
Things that your mother and father had said
Which were left to them too.
Careful what you say, children will listen
Careful you do it too, children will see and learn.
Oh!

Guide them but step away,
Children will glisten.
Temper with what is true
And children will turn,
If just to be free.
Careful before you say,
Listen to me.
Children will listen…
Children will listen!
Children, children will listen