ICEBREAKERS:
Choose one:
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If you could have ___________ (one of your children) grow up to become
any sort of person, what would you most want them to become? Why?
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Describe your experience with the goal you set from our last meeting.
Did you come closer to God through pursuing it? How?
READINGS:
Moses said to them: “Lay to heart all the words which I enjoin upon
you this day, that you may command them to your children, that they may
be careful to do all the words of this law. It is no trifle for you,
but it is your life, and thereby you shall live long in the land which
you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy
32: 44-47)
~ ~
Parents are the primary source of love for children. The parent-child relationship
is vertical, and the husband-wife relationship is horizontal. The lines
of these two relationships should cross at right angles. The relationship
among siblings forms a third dimension, a front-to-back axis. In
the God-centered family, vertical and horizontal loves are united as one.
(Everybody
Wants True Love, 11/20/99)
~ ~
Centering on true love, we can reach oneness between parent and child,
between husband and wife, and between brothers and sisters. A parent
becomes the owner or master of love through his child. A husband becomes
the owner of love through his wife. An elder child becomes the owner of
love through his younger brothers and sisters.
In order to develop a loving character, we must serve and honor our
parents, our brothers and sisters, and our spouse. By doing so, we will
attain mind-body unity as individuals, fraternal unity as brother and sister,
and conjugal unity as husband and wife. (Everybody Wants True Love,
11/20/99)
~ ~
The love of parents is the basis for children's pride and happiness. They
would wish to be born through the total and harmonious unity of their parents
in true love, and they would wish to be raised in that kind of love. The
most precious responsibility of parents is not only to rear their children
externally, but also to offer them life elements of true love that can
perfect their spirituality. (View of the Principle of the Providential
History of Salvation, 4/16/96)
~ ~
God is in a parental relationship to His children. As a parent, He invests
and forgets. If you want to secure a love relationship between God, yourself,
and your spouse, you can offer true love to God. There is only one way
to reach God - through the practice of true love. The practice of true
love means investing yourselves over and over again, whole-heartedly. (39th
True Children's Day Address, 11/19/98)
~ ~
In the 1950’s in the United States, the average child watched
little or no TV, and what he did see on television was stable, two-parent
families who generally interacted with respect. Today, the average
childen watches seven hours of television per day. By the end
of grade school, he’s seen over eight thousand murders and one hundred
thousand acts of violence, as well as ten thousand alluded to sexual acts
and hundreds of thousands of discussions and jokes about sexuality.
During this time he’s spent an average of five minutes a day with his father
and twenty minutes with his mother, and most of that time was spent either
eating or watching TV!
Just think about it: seven hours of TV a day and five minutes
with Dad. Unbelievable!
Do you know how a child spells “Love”? T-I-M-E! (Steven
Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
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Our reading from the bible says that a child’s primary source of values
and tradition come from his parents. In your childhood, or in your
family now, how have you seen this to be true?
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In the readings, Rev. Moon says, “God is in a parental relationship with
His children.” This suggests that the ultimate purpose of life might
be to have and raise children. What do you think of this?
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The readings mention frequently that the harmonious relationship
between husband and wife is the necessary foundation for a good relationship
with children.
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In your childhood, did you grow up in such an environment? Explain.
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Remember a time when you saw this dynamic take place in your family, either
with your parents or now, with your children. Describe how you have
seen this dynamic of parents’ unity positively affect children first hand.
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From the readings, several ideas are suggested as to what a “true parent”
is. From the readings, and from your own experience, list some of
the attributes of a true parent. Explain.
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Consider the reading from “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families.”
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What does this say about modern culture’s effect on families?
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How can we as parents counteract some of these influences?
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Remember a time when one of your parents spent quality time with you, or
when you spent quality time with one of your children.
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Action Step: Choose one of your children with whom you want to improve
your relationship __________________________ . From our study
tonight, choose one thing you will do to improve that relationship. _______________________________________________________
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