Healthy
“As the leader goes, so
goes the nation.” This is a
familiar saying that I was re-
minded of recently. While teaching
a junior high Sunday School class, we
were discussing what makes a good
leader during a lesson on Moses. I was
honored to be among a wise group of
children. The compiled list of “What
Makes a Good Leader” included people
who: take initiative; are trustworthy;
persevere; volunteer to take charge;
are kind; have courage; have patience;
include everybody.
Out of the mouth of “babes” practical, yet profound truths are revealed.
These sixth-eighth graders know a good
leader when they see one. And while
leadership in the workplace and community groups is important, the place
where leadership is established and
most influential is in the home. Every
parent is a leader with their children,
influencing the development of tomorrow’s leaders and future generations.
The influential role of parenting seems to be slowly eroding in our
culture. If only children could tell us
when we bring them home from the
hospital that parental leadership is a
Hearts
?Healthy
Homes
by Brenda Yoder, MA,
Counselor & Education Consultant for Elijah Haven Crisis Intervention Center
significant influence in shaping their
development. In a year of elections, we
are bombarded with reminders of good
and not-so good qualities in a presidential leader. Children don’t get to choose
who leads them. They are trustingly
placed in the hands of their natural
leaders, those who have a profound
influence on them – their parents. This
is a mighty calling.
As parents, we should embrace
these qualities of leadership with serious consideration. As parents, how
can we be more trustworthy to our
children? In what ways do we need
to persevere when children are challenging? How can we be more patient
when patience is needed? In what ways
do we need to display courage to our
children, and when do we need to step
up and take charge for a positive influence in their lives? How can we show
more kindness to our families? And for
those of us with multiple children, in
what ways can we be proactive to include each child in a fair, yet personal
relationship?
We don’t get a declaration coming
home from the hospital with a new
child stating “You are now the most influential leader in the life of this child!”
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let alone an instruction book on how
to be a good leader. But being aware
of the power of parenting is crucial in
calibrating our senses to be the best
leader for our children we can be. Recognizing the parenting role as “leader”
rather than just “mom or dad” puts the
importance of the responsibility in the
forefront of our mind.
Pope John Paul II said, “As the
family goes, so goes the nation and so
goes the whole world in which we live.”
This wisdom validates the leadership
qualities compiled by ten very wise
teenagers. Perhaps we can be intentional this New Year in being world
leaders, one family at a time.
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The Hometown Treasure · Jan. ‘12 · pg 31