Trick love Da Kids

Woo!!! what an awesome month thus far... weather is warming up... kinda?? and I'm going to hit some golf balls tomorrow. It is absolutely amazing how things I look forward to have changed over the years....

I want anyone that reads this to know....
When I talk about something I think we should do/do better, I am not preaching, or judging person's actions/lack of actions. Any issue I talk about is definitely something I am trying to work on as well. I want to get that out there in case anyone is thinking "oh Boom... preaching on his high horse again" Unless I am talking about being more awesome, because honestly guys, you've got a lot of work to do to catch up to this bad boy...

I've been thinking a lot lately about very small things that happened to me as a kid that have shaped the way I am today. We've all got insecurities, fears, desires and needs that we feel as adults. If you truly look deep in yourself, you can trace these feelings back to a memory or memories from your childhood. Insecurities might be the biggest one out of the list of nouns I mentioned. Is that not mind blowing how easily we were molded and affected when we were younger? Maybe this is just me. Maybe I'm way off base. In that case, maybe you should get back to your Biggest Loser re-run or looking at pictures of your ex on Facebook and trying not to cry yourself to sleep because you're a pathetic lump of a man that will never be loved because you've got the self-esteem of a "yield" sign ... woa... sorry about that. I don't know what happened.

Okay. There is a method to my madness. I don't have any kids. I am to the age though, where I'm around the smaller humans all the time. Whether it be cousins, friends' kids, nieces/nephews or even your own kids, I'm sure you're around those little fire ants as well. Don't get me wrong, they're awesome! The pure innocence in their personalities is an incredibly beautiful creation even as they get into their teen years. I think that every one of us should really make it a point to review the kind of example we're setting for them. Whether it is our language, manners or actions. Family talks. If you're getting into trouble, the little squirts in your family have over heard the adults speaking of such things. But why not take this all a step further? Instead of just setting a good, or even "neutral" example, why not make a REAL effort to make an extremely positive "ripple" on their life. Let them look at their mannerisms and make-up one day as an adult, and see the positive light you brought to them.

I, personally, think it is vital in a child's life to know Christ's love at an early age. This doesn't just mean getting a kid into a church seat. These kids need love and attention, but most of the time just a friend. I don't know what you're seeing but I sure am not seeing a ton of Grade A parenting, or basic family values in the world today. Kids are lost and lost kids make for very crappy adults. I guarantee you have a friend that had a pretty tough time growing up and I guarantee they're still carrying big ole bag of demons from their childhood. We all need companionship and children are no different. We've got to make time for them and get over ourselves. The children we look at today are going to go through a world of hell someday, in some way or another. The least we can do is show them the kind of love they need to get through the dark times they have in their horizon.

There is nothing more precious that the humbleness and joy in a child. We have got to work hard to keep them feeling special. When I'm an old cranky man (older cranky man) withering away in a rest home, I'd rather my grand kids not be doped up on anti-depressants when they come see me (if they come see me).