Should We Give Our Children the World?

Posted on Feb 08, 2018 Topic : Fiction, Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Wendy Dunham

What parent doesn’t want to give their children the world? After all, they are our lives. We invest everything we have, hoping they’ll succeed. From piano and dance lessons, to lacrosse and soccer teams, we strive to develop well-rounded children.

But at the core of every essential thing our children learn, is the ability to read. Aside from knowing Christ, it is the key that opens a child’s world. Mary M. Bethune (1875-1955), knew that well, stating, “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.” One of 17 children born to former slaves, Mary grew up in poverty. Had she never learned to read, Mary never would have graduated from Scotia Seminary, or attended Moody Bible Institute. She never would have become a leading American educator, stateswoman, philanthropist, humanitarian, or civil rights activist. She never would have been an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Had Mary never learned to read, her world would not have opened. Something tells me, someone in Mary’s life knew the value in reading.

Knowing that a child’s ability to read is the gateway to their world, our desire should be to instill a love for reading deep within them. We should want our children opening books with unbridled eagerness and anticipation, as if the greatest journey were about to begin. As a writer, I know that’s what I want to help instill.

So, in the tradition of timeless classics like Peter Rabbit and Winnie the Pooh, I wrote The Tales of Buttercup Grove, illustrated by Michal Sparks. This four-book series for children 4-8, invites children to come along side Skunk, Raccoon, and the rest of their woodland friends, as they embark on a series of adventures in Buttercup Grove. Throughout each story, children learn Christian values such as sharing, compassion, kindness, encouragement, and patience. Although the reading level is geared for children 4+, they can be read as picture books to those younger.

As we do our best to instill a love of reading in our children, let’s do it with the same gusto we want them to have. So let’s grab a book, place a child on our lap, and pass on our enthusiasm. A child’s love for reading will open their world to adventures they may otherwise never have.

So yes, I think it’s quite alright if we give our children the world. Wouldn’t you agree?