Saturday, September 21, 2002
Saturday, September 21, 2002
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a
level path.
Again, there is that fine line between dependence and independence. Between freedom and
responsibility. How much should I do for my child? How much should he or she do for himself
or herself? Sometimes parents rob their children of developing a sense of responsibility
because it is easier to go ahead and perform a task for them than it is to get them to do it
themselves. It is easier to give in than it is to set firm guidelines.
Have you ever wondered why God lets us go through a trying situation? Maybe God was using
it to teach us a new lesson.
(Psalm 143.10
NRSV)
There is an interesting difference between Japanese and American parents. Ezra and
Suzanne Vogel observe that Japanese parents encourage their children to be dependent. It is
part of their culture to rely heavily on others for emotional support and decisions about their
lives. For example, the Japanese firm is highly paternalistic and takes a great deal of
responsibility for making the employee secure and comfortable. Thus, the dedicated Japanese
mother encourages her child to feel dependent. The Vogels observe, however, that just as the
American mother has always complained about the success of her efforts and felt that her
children were too independent, so the Japanese mother tends to feel that her children are too
dependent, despite the fact that she has trained them this way.
Dear God, thank you for the great lessons of life that you have helped me to learn. Amen.
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