The children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children” 2Cor. 12:14C.
It makes good business sense to invest in a child’s future but it is rather more better to set a moral standard to grow with it and never depart from such standards. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Prov. 22:6. Good moral standards give birth to integrity.
An investment is something that you buy or do because it will be useful or profitable later. Investment involves deliberate plan of action aimed towards a desirable ends.
Keeping money or property (that could be sold later) for the future upkeep of the children is very vital. A certain amount should be saved either monthly or quarterly towards the children fund programme available in banks and other financial houses where parents can keep money solely of the future of the children.
But as stated earlier, it makes even better sense to invest in our children moral future. If you invest heavily in the physical aspects of your children, but fail to do same in their moral lives, they will not only end as vagabonds but may rise to squander all that you have laboured for years to keep for them. Such money or property kept might even be the basic of separation among them after your demise. In some cases, they might start fighting and killing one another over the sharing of such property or money.
It has become a common practice this day for parents to keep a proportion of their earning and wealth for their children future use. But if the parent is one-sided in the investment, investing only in material things rather than moral, it is still no investment at all.
Money is not everything. When the children are made to believe that life is worthless and useless without money, such children might do anything to get money and ruin their future. Money has its limitations, it remain a blessing as long as it love does not enter a man’s heart.
While we should teach our children industry, diligence and prudence which are good steps to wealth, we should not stress monetary gains as the ultimate end of life. We should live out our life as an example to them by the way we handle the acquisition of property, do our own business and by the way, we view and accept gains.
The quality of investment is also expressed by how early you commenced the investment. This is where, most parents miss their marks, they start too late. The majority of children are ruined for the formation of character and habits before their five (5) years due to neglect of parents.
Children should be made to understand that their overall succeed in life hinges on their ability to see God in every area of their lives.
Parents should do all it takes, no matter how difficult it is, to retain their child with them atleast for the first ten (10) year of the child’s life. Don’t advertise your wealth through your children, you are exposing them to financial luxuries and if you do that, children handled in this manner are easily defenseless to economic constraints, turning to the streets as robbers and hoodlums as soon as they no more get money to lavish on their wants.
Parents should place God and good moral first before their children. Don’t price any physical aspiration and action above good moral standard in the life of your children. In the formative year of a child’s life, parent still remain the major influence, there should be quality investment in terms of moral material such as books that teaches good virtues, values and norms in childish styles, instructional pictures etc.
As parents, we want the best for our children and the best we can ever give them as to make them stand out in the midst of their equals is to invest wisely for the benefit of ourselves and the image of the family tomorrow.
Parents must also teach the dignity and reward of honest labour to their children. Some parents failed in this aspect as a Hebrews proverbs say “He that does not teach his son a trade, train him to be a thief”.
Some young people today are totally unprepared to make their way because the parent did not catch them young. They prefer to hold their hands and wait for manna to fall from heaven for them to eat. “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” 1thess. 3:10.
Your type of investment will give you same dividend. Invest wisely in your child. Start it on time. ###
Edith Nse Friday
08025293937
fridaynse@yahoo.com
