Kleine Kinder sind süss, besonders wenn sie der eigenen Linie entstammen:
There is no getting around it—little kids are cute. Some are cuter than others (depending, of course, on whether or not they are one’s own direct lineal descendants).
Doch Psalm 127,3-5 spricht davon, dass Söhne die Pfeile im Köcher des Vaters sind. Wer seinen Köcher gefüllt hat, braucht sich nicht zu fürchten, wenn er im Tor (damals Ort der Beratung, des Gerichts und des Vertragsabschlusses) mit seinen Feinden spricht.
Instead of saying that they are like a row of stuffed bunnies in a well-decorated crib, he says that children from the Lord are like a fistful of arrows. Children are arrows for the fist, and even more arrows for the quiver. For what occasion? Target practice? Costume parties?
Wir schützen unsere Kleinen vor Gefahr, doch wehe wir bleiben in diesem Modus gefangen:
Kids are adorable when they are little, and when they are little, they are also largely defenseless. Because of this, good parents are constantly watching out for threats to them. This is obviously a good thing, as far as it goes, but it is not a good thing if we get stuck in that mode.
Was ist das Ziel unserer Erziehung? Sollen sie einmal willfährige Arbeitnehmer und harmlose Konsumenten sein?
What is the ultimate goal you have in mind? Is it faithful service to God when they are adults? … are you just hoping they make enough money to get by, are generally nice people, and always come home for the holidays?
Das Mindset sei entscheidend, meint Doug Wilson in diesem wundervollen kurzen Artikel.
The mindset that parents have (or do not have) will be one of the main factors in how they decide how they will educate the kids, which is a decision that arrives pretty durn early.
