We receive many letters and visits from troubled youngsters.
One of the common complaints goes something like this.
A trouble with my parent is they
Have to have a hand in everything I do.
They're not happy unless they can control me completely.
Don't they realize I have a mind of my own?
Why don't they just let me use it?
Then I get the parents version.
And it sounds almost like an echo.
That child has gotten completely out of
Hand, there's no controlling him anymore.
Talk about a mind of his own.
Alright, let's talk about that mind of his own.
Speaking as a parent myself,
I think that having a child with a mind
Of its own is a pretty good thing to have.
The fact is we give life to our children,
And at some point,
They're going to want to do as they please with our gift.
But after all you say he is my child my own flesh and blood.
So far so true.
But his so his spirit is his own.
That's what makes him an individual with
His own creative drive and personal hunger.
It would be a mighty boring and backward word if all
Children turned out to be just carbon copies of their parents.
It is a very difficult thing for a parent to know at what
Point will start easing up on his child super vision and control.
We can't hold on to his hand all the way to adulthood.
From infancy on the youngsters raring has been riddled with do's and
Dont's but when they get older they see that there can be different
Degrees of permissiveness some of their contemporaries have been
Brought up with sets of dos and donts that are strangely different
And therefore more interesting than
The one they have been taught to respect.
Now, our young individuals start chomping at the beat.
He is anxious to throw up the family you
Can be free, free to use that mind of his own.
How does one deal with the inevitable?
Some of our misguided youngsters
Today find themselves in quite a mess.
But how about all the fortunate ones living
Happy and fruitful lives with their parents.
Don't go thinking that these parents are just lucky.
They've worked hard for their peace
Of mind and that of their children.
They have been wise enough to recognize the restlessness of
Youth, and they have provided
Wholesome and interesting outlets for it.
They learned how to give just the right amount of leeway to their
Child's individuality and needs for self expression,
Not allowing him to run rampant not suffocating either.
Remember, the happy man is he who is master of himself.
If you want your boy to grow to be a happy man, just show him the way.
Try not to stand on his way every time
He wants to exercise that mind of his own.
Without exercise that mind will not grow.