Skip to main content

“But we do know that sometimes children need help in saying no.”

A thought by Zig Ziglar (2003-01-01) from his book, Zig Ziglar's Life Lifters (p. 7). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

That is so true. 

Zig goes on to say, “I'm convinced that what kids need today are parents—not buddies. They need someone who will exercise mature judgment. Kids instinctively know—although they will argue to the contrary—that they really are not mature enough to make good decisions on some important issues. Like I say—they don't want a buddy at home. They want a mom and dad who love them enough to say no when no really is the best answer for the child. Yes, when the motive is love, even if the child doesn't fully understand, your decision will eventually be accepted.”

Such good advice.

Zig tells of a time he had with his daughter.  She wanted to go out with some friends but Zig said, “No” and of course initially she had a problem with the no. 

Zig in telling the story said, “I went on to explain that I loved her too much to permit her to jeopardize her reputation or possibly even her life. She stood, lips quivering, for a moment, then literally jumped forward, grabbed me, gave me a big hug and kiss, and said, ‘Thank you, Daddy! I really didn't want to go anyhow.’ I have no idea what she told her friends, but the important thing is that she was able to blame me and save face with the kids in the car.”

He then says, “My wife, the Redhead, and I have had the experience of different ones of our children saying loudly on the phone, ‘Let me ask my parents,’ and then as they held the phone high in the air to catch our response they signaled us wildly to say no to their request. We have no idea how many times they wanted us to say no because they didn't want to be put in bad circumstances or how many times they just didn't want to do what was being asked. But we do know that sometimes children need help in saying no.”

He then ends this section with a very good thought.  He said, “Be there for your kids. Later, when you need them, they'll be there for you.”


So are you a buddy or a parent?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference.   You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...