On Monday night, Legacy Christian Academy launched a new parent education program entitled PEP Talks. We all know how exhausting and even discouraging parenting can be so this program was created to encourage and inspire parents in their journey. The PEP Talks organizers are making every effort to persuade parents to attend by providing childcare, a tasty meal (turn it into a date night), along with engaging and enlightening guest speakers. Following the presentation, the parents break into groups by their children’s ages for further discussion and reflection led by our counselors, Dr. Lana Snear and Jena Snyder.
Nearly 100 parents came to share in our first PEP Talk which was led by Legacy’s Head of School, Bill McGee. He imparted his wisdom garnered not only from his personal experience as a parent but also on his thirty-nine years in education. The title of his message was “Parenting Teens with Love and Logic,” but the message is applicable across all ages. Parenting is a tough gig, no doubt, but parents need to keep their sense of humor and offer themselves grace from time to time. Likewise, parents should reach out to and partner with other parents and those in the community. It truly does take a village to raise a child, but it is also helpful for parents to lean on one another for support and encouragement throughout the journey.
McGee noted that parents should empower their children to make their own decisions, to let them learn to live with their mistakes, and then to allow them to grow through the consequences. For believers, this is known as the Law of Sowing and Reaping. This Law is perhaps one of the most important lessons that students at Legacy will come to understand.
Mr. McGee shared several valuable pearls of wisdom throughout his presentation. He identified children as moral free agents. They do have the capacity to make their own choices, parents just need to let them do it. Even though they might make the wrong choices, every experience can be a learning one. Take note that the important lessons in life often don’t come from successes, but rather from failures. Parents should allow their children to suffer disappointment and even failure. While this may be hard for some parents to witness, it will help to prepare their children for life. That is, after all, the goal of parenting…to work ourselves out of a job.
Sitting on Mr. McGee’s desk is a coaster that reflects this ideology perfectly. It reads “Prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child.” We, as parents, need to recognize that our children are not even truly our own. They are all God’s children and we are here to steward them. For God cares for and loves our children even more than we do. Lead them well. Let them succeed. Let them fail. Let them grow. Let them go…and then become a grandparent because that is the best gig there is!
The next PEP Talk is scheduled for October 22nd. More information regarding this will be forthcoming.
Mr. McGee’s presentation can be viewed here, and the video of the presentation can be viewed above.