BEFORE YOU GET MUCH OLDER, THINK ABOUT THIS

A long life, far too often and for far too many people, when reflected upon, brings a burden of regret, shame and disappointment that can outweigh the good things and the gladness that has otherwise filled a person’s life.  This happens when people either haven’t  gotten the attention they needed when they were young, or they haven’t paid attention to the good attention they did receive when they were young. 

Whether the reason is ignorance, laziness or selfishness, parents who default in instructing and disciplining their children set them up for behavior in life, the memory of which will saddle them in the future with a burdened hearts and minds. To be sure,

Parental failure isn’t an excuse for why people do things they’ll remember and regret in their later years. We all, regardless of our backgrounds, etc. have to take primary responsibility for how we live our lives. But the parenting, good or bad that children have, and the mentoring they have as they grow up goes a long way in explain why people either do or don’t do things in and with their lives that they live to regret.  

Parents need to take the “long view” approach to raising children. This means, raising them throughout the course of their lives in a way that will leave them with as few regrets as possible at the close of their lives. We need to stay conscious of, and  exercise the discipline necessary

to, this “long view” approach to life for our children’s sake and for our own. It’s true that, “discipline weighs ounces,  but regret weighs tons.”