Spirituality helps remind us that our children are not belongings and that the photograph of our lives is not a still life. Life is always changing and our children are also changing. Spirituality helps us respond flexibly to those changes. Our children can teach us to enjoy life when we are open to them. The focus of parents also has a reverberating effect.
Children live with the effects of parental focus long after they are out of the home.
Those areas deemed important will either be accepted or rebelled against by the children. Whether or not those areas are accepted, they remain part of the child's identity and self-concept. By looking at choices in the context of long-term effects, the best decision becomes apparent. Such questions help parents maintain their focus. What we focus on shapes what we become.