Article June 18, 1984 Issue

A standpoint for family decisions

DARREN NELSON

How much television is appropriate for a sixth grader? Is Julia ready to go out with a man six years older than she? Do parents have the right to "pass" on their teen-agers' friends and activities?

Such complex questions confront most parents and young people, sometimes setting everybody's teeth on edge. And just as each child is unique and has needs (which change) and perceptions (which also change), so each parent and family is unique and has changing needs and variable tolerance. Many families long for some definitive standpoint for coping fairly—and in good humor—with the plethora of opinions and influences.

And there is such a standpoint. It has to do with an awareness that God is actually the only Father and Mother of all. He is the divine Mind, the one cause and law of being. From this Parent we have life and intelligence, not in physical forms but in and as spiritual consciousness. The foundation of our trust is what the divine Parent imparts and knows of His creation.

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