The parents have to train the child for the real life
The child is for his parents both the gift and the blessing of God. Parents can fashion from this raw dough a man of the good or through indolence, can jeopardize the child’s future, who will have a very hard time choosing between light and dark.
In the words of Saint John Chrysostom, raising an ‘athlete of Christ’ has as its model the next spiritual skills: ‘Right away, set as law to your children not to offense anyone, not to curse, not swear, not to fight. When you see him crossing the line punish him either by firm and serious stare or by hard words, or by words of rebuke; wake up his ambition through flattering words of being better than others or promise him a great reward for a good behaviour.’
(Translated from Pr. prof. dr. Ioan C. Teșu, Familia creștină, școală a iubirii și a desăvârșirii, Editura Doxologia, Iași, 2011, p. 150)
