Faith Filled Family Magazine August 2016 | Page 11

THE

Prodigal Child
Will They Really Return?

O

n
the
occasions
where I witnessed
out of control children running and
screaming, throwing tantrums
on the floor, or hitting their parents in various public situations,
I judged their parents’ parenting
skills or lack of it in my heart.
When I saw adolescents behaving badly, seemingly like they
have no home training, I judged
their presently absent parents

By Nichel Hillman
to be uncaring, self-absorbed,
and surmised they had obviously deprived their children of
enough attention. I have seen
news reports of teenagers committing heinous crimes, such as
shooting up their schools and
subsequently killing their classmates or instances where they
defiled the sanctity of a church
by annihilating parishioners.
When I saw these tragedies I
questioned to myself, “Where
were their parents or what kind

of environment were they reared
in that they turned out the way
they did?” While measuring
other parents based on my perceived parenting strength, I have
usurped a right that is not mine.
I have erroneously assumed
the authority of the all-knowing
judge.

Certainly I am not alone in my
error. It is common place in
today’s society for some individuals to congregate in virtual coli-