Our Parents must "parent-up"

A year ago I wrote a series of articles in parenting. These articles explored the roles and the responsibilities of being a parent. In this article I want to address five important questions as it relates to parents and guardians.
It is important to note that these questions need to be addressed in an effort to move our community forward. The five questions are:
· Where have all the parents gone?
· What are those parents who are present doing?
· Where is the support for their children?
· Why are they not leading by example?
· Why do parents not parent-up and take responsibility for raising their child/children?
As we explore these questions it is important to note that there are several excellent parents who provide and support their child/children in every community and school however, there is an overwhelming number of parents who fail miserably at this responsibility, leaving the rearing of their child/children to the community at large.
Where have all the parents gone? Today, parents are absent from the lives of their child/children. Some work almost sixteen hours a day, in an effort to provide food and shelter. Other parents are negligent, not in the home, deadbeat dads and moms. Still others are addicts, incapable of providing for their children. The growing uncertainty of the economy creates a new class of missing or moving parents who also fail to provide for their children. With a variety of reasons, today we find that many parents are just not available to provide for the rearing of their child/children.
What are those parents who are present doing? There are parents who may be available for support in every community that opts to be uninvolved. They are never available for conferences, support or care of their child/children. These are often parents who had a poor experience in school, dropped out or just disinterested in the educational programs. Many parents are intimidated by the educational system. Some have had difficulties understanding how the system works. Parents who work around the clock often fall into this group. There is just too much of a lack of involvement by parents in the life and education of their child/children.
Where is the support? Children need support from their parents. This support must include physical, emotional, spiritual, social and educational support. Unless parents provide in varying degrees a measure of support in all of these areas, children will continue to lack the needed support and development. Our community institutions such as churches, synagogues, schools, libraries, recreation centers, and vocational centers can only serve as a support to the individual child. Parents/guardians must provide the basic foundation of support on which to build the entire child. The foundations cannot be left to the community institutions. Parents should supply the following support:
Physical - food, shelter, security, early education, clothing and personal needs
Emotional - security, self-esteem, discipline, respect, love of self
Spiritual - sense of right and wrong. Spiritual growth, values, higher being, religious teachings
Social - recreational, clubs, sports, arts, relationship building with friends, counseling, support
Educational - school, careers, interests, museums, arts, engineering, community service, social adjustment
Parents are the basic driving force that should steer their children in a safe, well-orchestrated lifestyle.
Leading by example - The first teacher for all children should be their parents/guardians. They are entrusted with the care and development of each child they bring into the world. Parents must always be aware that they are their child/children’s role models and are emulated by them all the time. Parents must make concerted efforts to do the right thing all the time. They must lead by example and teach their child/children how real, responsible parents behave, both in good times and not so good times.
Parent-up/take responsibility - The cry today is for parents to once again start parenting their children. Society is no place for children to receive their very first training. Parents must put their children first in all they do. Their child/children are their prime investment. Great care should be given to prospective parents of the role they must play in the lives of the children they birth. Child rearing is perhaps the greatest service we can render in this life and should be given our highest priority. Parents should as they say “parent-up” and do what is right for their children. Our world, community and families need parents who prepare their children for the world in which we live.
I applaud all the real parents, who daily make a difference in the lives of the children they raise. These selfless parents are truly unsung heroes everyday in the lives of our youth.