Divine inspiration?

My son called me the other night and was telling me that my daughter in law took our twin granddaughters to the pet store the other day and they fell in love with some guinea pigs. They loved these soft, furry and cuddly little creatures to no end and it was apparent that they wanted to take them home. My daughter in law told them, “No, you cannot have these guinea pigs and we have to put them back now”. Big tears started filling their beautiful blue eyes and rolling down their cheeks and they stamped their little feet and one of them looked up at her and said, “Papaw”.

I find it fascinating that these little girls who are not even two years old already recognize who loves them the most in the world and cry out for me when they are being denied the bare essentials in life. I have not even seen them in weeks and yet they still remember where their “bread gets buttered”. I told my son that I would be in Atlanta next week and he better get used to having guinea pigs because I was going to buy them two each and to go ahead and tell the girls that papaw was on the way, and for them to pick out what color guinea pigs that they want. He told me that the girls would not be getting guinea pigs and if I bought them guinea pigs that I would be raising them in Islamorada. That is “cold” my brothers and sisters. How could anyone deny these precious little babies anything?

Anyone who loves their kids with all of their heart will routinely deny their children things that they desire. It is an important part of training up a child for them to understand that they cannot always get what they want; otherwise they will be spoiled. Proverbs is one of the best books in the Bible for parents and those who are raising kids would do well to spend some time in it. It is written in a context of the home whereby parents are instructing their children in the skills of Godly living. It exposes sins that attack the divine order of the home and God plainly instructs us how to train our children concerning a multitude of subjects. It quite vividly states that someone who “hates” their child will spare the rod and someone who loves their child will discipline them. That is pretty strong advice for parents in this new age of “timeouts” and indulgence, but it is just as true today as it was in 729 BC when King Solomon, the wisest man the world will ever know, wrote it.

In my mind few things are as disgusting as to be around a spoiled brat. Some parents just cannot deny their kids anything and indulge their every tantrum by giving in and allowing them whatever they want. When these children get older they suffer mightily, because the world will not indulge them in the same manner. Often they experience extreme difficulty in coping when the world, including their boss at work, does not tolerate spoiled adults in the same manner as their indulgent parents. Thus if a parent loves their child they will deny them on occasion and discipline them when they need it.

By the way, (albeit I do not have biblical proof of the same), I am not sure that these principles were intended to apply to Papaws or Mimi’s. I have scoured Proverbs and being the great book that it is, (and perhaps I was even afforded the benefit of some divine guidance), I did find the passage below which surely must apply to me. Are they old enough for me to get them their red Porsches yet?

Proverbs 3:27
Do not withhold good from
those to whom it is due
when it is in the power of your
hand to do so.