Protecting my kids from the world seems right, but...
One of my many blessed memories of my dad and growing up was the opportunity we had every two years, to purchase a new car. For most of my early life my parents would buy a new vehicle and then methodically pay if off early; only to continue to pay themselves in anticipation of the next purchase. It was my father’s only extravagance. That purchase was always followed by an appointment with
Ziebart-
they were the rustproofing guys down the street who poked, prodded, and probed the inner recesses of that vehicle and inoculated the car against rust by injecting its doors, underbelly and quarter panels with black gooey ‘stuff’ that fortified the metal against rust.
That memory came to mind as I thought about the challenges that parents are facing in getting their little one prepared for adult life. All of us are interested in protecting our kids from the horrors of a world that has lost its way— something we realized many years ago when we discovered that our oldest son was being bullied in public school.
My response then was late, weak, and inadequate, but I learned that while protecting them may be our first instinct, preservation provides a more sustainable long range strategy.
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