Don't Mess With My Children

An eastern newspaper reported that a train in Bangladesh accidentally struck a calf elephant. The mother elephant apparently became upset over the incident, for a little while later another train came along and spotted the female standing in the middle of the track. Though the engineer blasted his horn, she would not budge. When the train came to a halt, she began butting it with her head! For fifteen minutes she hammered the engine, rendering it inoperable. Once satisfied, she walked off into the jungle, stranding two hundred passengers for five hours while they waited for a replacement engine. Don't mess with her children!

Devotion to our own children is essential. Here are some ways we can channel our devotion into productive areas.

1. Devote TIME to your child. Quality time means nothing if it rarely occurs. Spend time reading, laughing, playing, exploring, learning, talking, and just sitting quietly together.
   
2. Devote POSITIVE ATTENTION to your child. Let her know she is important by the way you speak and listen to her.
   
3. Devote LOVE to your child. He is one of the most important people you'll ever have the privilege of knowing.
   
4. Devote ENERGY to learning how to be the best parent possible. All of our children are different and require different skills from us.
   
5. Devote YOURSELF, and you'll never regret the valuable investment.