by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Train up a child…
Attitude Affects Appearance; Appearance Affects Attitude
Those of us who are older can easily remember the time when we worried about our saddle oxfords being polished to perfection, hair pinned up or put into curlers each night, and clothes neatly ironed. Once we put those freshly ironed clothes on, we didn’t even want to sit down for fear we would wrinkle them.
Fast forward to today when people hardly touch an iron, probably don’t own shoe polish, and find flip flops to be the shoes of choice. Probably none of us would like to go back to those days when so much time and effort was spent on the way we looked, but couldn’t we strike a happy medium? Couldn’t more people put a bit more effort into appearance? Good appearance not only is more pleasant, but it reflects an attitude.
When a child is concerned about personal appearance, it carries over into work. As I have taught through the years, I have noticed that some children hand in sloppy papers with scribbles all over them, footprints on them, or even holes punched in them with a pencil. These seem to be the same students who don’t really care if they have washed their face or hands, or have on clean clothes.
When a child dresses up, that child seems to naturally be careful with the way he/she behaves. It is pleasant to watch children put on new clothes and walk around feeling good. Dressing up seems to prompt an attitude of carefulness as opposed to the carelessness often displayed by children who seemingly roll out of bed and begin the day in clothes that they may have slept in.
My husband and I attended a Pregnancy Life Line banquet at a church in the area. It was heartwarming to see children–even young children– assisting with the serving. Those children were dressed very neatly. Some of the girls had braided their hair and they looked so very nice. The young children wore rubber gloves as they carried pitchers of tea or water to refill glasses. They were very polite and careful with all they did. It was apparent that the parents and church leaders were doing a wonderful job with these children. They were an example that proves that we don’t have to say about kids who go around so sloppily, “Oh, that’s the way kids are now!” Kids don’t have to be sloppy. They can learn that there are special occasions like banquets, school programs, church, etc., when they should dress up. They can also learn to be neat and clean at other times and do school work and other work neatly.
It is too easy for adults to give up and give in to children when trends seem to go contrary to what we know is right. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that as long as we are alive on this planet, we can help children understand that the choices they make in dress and other things, affect their attitudes toward life. “The Greatest Generation” cared about the way they looked to others and the way they did their work. Perhaps we can raise an even greater generation!