THE FOUR SLEEPY PASSENGERS on my 6:22 morning train to Boston were obviously not commuters—a mother, father, and their two young sons. They were bound for City Hall Plaza. There was a victory celebration later that day for the New England Patriots who had just won their third Super Bowl in four years.

My question was obvious. Since the event didn't start until noon, why leave so early? (The two boys, sound asleep, were rocked by the motion of the train.) The father's answer still resonates: "All kids need heroes, and they'll pick the good or bad." Of course, he wanted to secure front-row views of the US champion football players, but perhaps the real reason for dragging his family out of bed before the sun was up was to make sure he and his wife had a say in the types of heroes their boys would choose.

What appealed to me about this approach was how practical and wise it was—a modern version of the time-tested advice given in the Bible's book of Proverbs: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (22:6).

Recently, I came across a more contemporary rendering of this verse: "Young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough-minded discipline" (Eugene Peterson, The Message). I was struck by that phrase tough-minded discipline. The fresh wording caused me to consider the question: What must parents do to make sure they have a say in a child's spiritual direction?

That father on the train had chosen sports figures known for demonstrating skill, hard work, and the willingness to play for the greater good of their team and not just individual glory. Such athletes stand tall as role models. But might there be more to this question of choosing the right sort of role model—especially with so many athletes in the public eye now falling short of expectations?

Looking back over the arduous and physically demanding football practices I experienced as a youth, I know that intense physical training and team sports didn't guarantee I would be immune to "foolishness and fads." Lasting, life-changing lessons are never learned just by going through the motions. Sound values stick with young people only if they are freely, consciously internalized—if kids adopt them as their own and understand them. Otherwise, under the pressure to succeed, it's hard for them to stand up to the allure of such things as performance-enhancing drugs and alcohol.

Laying the foundation for a lasting spiritual education—applicable not only in sports, but in life in general—Mary Baker Eddy set down clear, helpful guidelines: "Parents should teach their children at the earliest possible period the truths of health and holiness. Children are more tractable than adults, and learn more readily to love the simple verities that will make them happy and good" (Science and Health, p. 236).

Christian Science teaches that the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Sermon on the Mount are essential building blocks for every young person. It helps parents rejoice in the innocence Jesus recognized as inherent in children. It encourages us to trust and build on God's love for each and every child—His protection and infallible guidance.

When I taught for three years in a reform school, I found honesty and fairness were the strongest assets I could bring to my dealing with troubled young men. Those two qualities were a gravitational pull on how these supposedly tough teenagers related to me. To them, I was a bit like a referee in a sporting event, and I found they were innately attracted to the principles embodied in those qualities.

Today, it may not always be wise for parents to encourage their children to make heroes of prominent athletes. An ethos of "Gotta win!" prevails, especially among the professionals. The very rules of the game, which call for honesty and fairness, have too often become moot.

But by following the "simple verities" of sound spiritual teaching, young people can and will discover heroic values within themselves and others. Each of us, child and adult alike, is able to recognize and follow the "way [we] should go" as naturally as we are drawn to the love God expresses when He gathers us to Himself. CSS