PARENTING October 20, 2003 Issue

Learn to be parented

By Roderick Nordell

I WASN'T EXACTLY Saul on the way to Damascus, but a light from heaven seemed to shine. It was when I first read these words in an otherwise long-forgotten religious article: "Our job is not to interfere." A simple reminder to keep oneself open to the constant care of God. A liberation and a challenge for me as a teenager learning about reliance on God defined as Principle and Love.

Recently I saw the same phrase used in regard to reading with a child. The point was made that it's important not to push and pull and interfere with the child's awakening response to the printed page.

It's attitude. When I think about parenting, I think about how I was parented—and about attitudes I hardly appreciated at the time.