This space has discussed the evils of abortion. But what about after birth? Children need love and training in addition to their right to life.
A good friend of mine named Steve Wood directs a Christian faith and family organization. Previous to his current job he worked with youth in a church. That job taught him that the key to children growing up in the faith and growing up well is the parents; specifically, the health of their marriage and their faith life were crucial in determining how the kids grew up and how they fared later in life. He says the following: "Covenant faithfulness in marriage-that is staying married-is the single most important key to parenting children and teens. In other words, stay married. That's it. You don't have to worry about 100 things. This is the one thing to focus on. Without this, you can go through every category of a child's well-being from psychological, educational, probability of drugs and alcohol, premarital sex, getting in trouble with the law and everything else, it's associated with homes where fathers aren't present. And homes with fathers who aren't present are a result of a broken marriage. Fathers don't leave their children in America by the millions because they get tired of playing ball with them in the yard. The reason fathers by the millions in America are separated from their children is because the marriage has broken. For men, marriage and fatherhood are a package deal. If the marriage goes, the fatherhood influence declines. After a decade, most kids just don't even see their fathers anymore after a divorce. So it's very critical that marriages are held together for the sake of the children, for their welfare."
After the gift of life, children need the gift of a mom and a dad living a happy marriage together. The best thing a father can do for his children is love his wife; and the best thing a mother can do for her children is love her husband. To put children first, may husbands and wives stay married and make the health of their marriage top priority. They, their children, and their grandchildren will benefit.
Rudy Poglitsh
rpoglitsh@live.com
more letters at http://letterstotheTOS.blogspot.com
