Loving Our Children

On this Valentine's Day, it seems fitting to do an entry on the central theme of the day; Love. Whenever I think about how one expresses and applies love, especially to our children, the following quote frequently comes to mind:

“Love is patient, love is kind,

love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful,

it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things, believes in all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.”

~ Saint Paul~

Loving our children is so fundamental to their healthy psychic and social development it cannot be replaced with any viable substitute. In so many ways how we are loved as children will determine who and what we become as adults. How we love our children will, in so many ways, determine who and what we are as adults.
 
As Saint Paul reminds us, love - unequivocal love - often is very difficult to give and/or receive. However, in the end, can any of us truly proclaim that the effort is not worthy of the reward? Unfortunately, in contemporary society there are dark and perverse individuals among the adult generations that have a most inappropriate attraction to children - "Pedophilia." It is especially unfortunate because it puts all of us on guard in our expressions of love for, and toward, children lest we be suspicioned to harbor such predatory intentions. Even more unfortunate, as with so many things in our lives, because of a few miscreant, ill-intentioned, individuals, we all suffer. In this case, children, who are often in great need of positive and healthy expressions of love from the adults in their lives, may never, or seldom, experience the joy and support that only love can bring.
 
May all of us have as a goal for our lives to take a stand against all forms of child predation - abuse, neglect, and all forms of child related harm - in order that, as a society, we can safely nurture and love our children as they should be loved. It seems worth repeating: "...it [love] does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth." May we all be dedicated to rejoicing in the truth.