Arguably, one of most important components of any society is a well functioning family: mom, dad, a couple of kids, decent morals, clear rules, communication, love, understanding, patience. I know there are wonderful single moms and single dads but the truth is that the basic unit of every society has always been family as described above. Usually, the father had the role of provider while the mom took upon herself a nest-building and children-raising role.
The best way to guide kids is to lead by example, being honest with each other, admitting mistakes and growing together. Dads should imprint on boys respect for their mother and protecting their sisters as they grow. This is especially important, as it breeds future fathers who will know how to properly relate to their wives and raise their own children. Follow this model and you have a pretty good chance to succeed. Turn this upside down and failure will be the end result. How do I know? I was on both sides of the aisle and observed plenty of both throughout my life.
What do you do if you are in a less-than-perfect situation? Start where you are. Dream, desire, change, work on it. Start with yourself. There is nothing to lose, but you do have a good chance to win it all. No matter how young or old you are, whether you are a kid, mom, dad or grandpa/grandma, make it work. Remember, many of us make better grandparents than parents just because by the time we “arrived” as parents, our kids were on their own already. You cannot change the past but surely you can do something about the future.
A last bit of an advice: Love no matter what, and be there for the others.
Vladimir Certik believes that thinking outside the box and engaging fellow citizens may bring simple solutions to complex problems. The West Creston resident can be reached at 250-402-0055.