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October 1982 • Vol. 6, No. 10

DINNER TABLE FUN. I think the
best location for humorous commu­
nication to take place is at the dinner
table. At mealtime, there should be no '
hint of punishment, no threat, no recrimi­
nations about past wrong, no discipline, i1
stead, dinnertime should be a time of fellow -l'ip
and fun, when you encourage the kids to tell stories andjoTceTafjout things that have
happened to them and to others. The essence of amusing conversation, like all
communication, is rooted in a sense of freedom and openness, and in sharing at
the deepest levels with one another.                                                         Art Linkletter

HOW YOU SPEND your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.

David B. Norris

OBEDIENCE. Respect for and obedience to parents is the foundation of all society. Children who are rebellious and unsubject in the home will be impatient of control and enemies of orderly government when they grow older. More than that, if they do not obey their parents in early days, they will not obey God in later years. In childhood our parents stand in the place of God. We learn His mind through them, if they are themselves subject to His Word.     Dr. Harry A. Ironside

THE TRUTH. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be satisfied
with what you have. For God has said, "1 will never leave you; 1 will never
abandon you."                                                                       Hebrews 13:5 TEV

LOVE IS WORK, and if a wife or husband expects the magic to continue without effort, they are in for a rude awakening. A phone call from work just to say "1 love you," may do a world of good. A date over the lunch hour or a sympathetic com­ment when one is obviously hurting under circumstances from the job can change the perspective of the love relationship. Love seldom "happens;" it's planned.

Mark Senter

PORNOGRAPHY breeds sexual crime. Studies show that there is a direct
correlation between the relaxed pornography laws of 1970 and the increased
incidence of rape since then. In countries with policies restricting pornogra­
phy, there has been a relatively small increase in rape.                      John Court

PARENTS, discuss the discipline of your children with each other. Decide what
they will be permitted to do or not do. Stand by your rules. Stand by each other.
Back up each other's actions. Don't let your children use you or divide you. Always
refer to them as "our" children not "your" children when they are bad and "my"
children when they are good.                                                           Mansfield Latimer

Those who imagine the world is against them have generally conspired to
make it true.                                                                             Sydney J. Harris

CHEATING IS EPIDEMIC. Not just increasing, not just frequent, but ramp­
ant! Surveys reveal that students are cheating on tests, homework, term papers,
and on anything requiring academic thought. It is taking place in colleges, acade­
mies, high schools, and elementary schools, both public and private. Surveyors
questioned thousands of students across the country and found that approximately
75% admit cheating is standard practice.                                              Anthony Joseph

MARRIAGE COMPENSATES?? Many people marry because they think marriage will overcome the inadequacies of their own personalities, becoming complete persons through the complementary qualities of their mates. You should never marry hoping that the other person will compensate for your inadequacies. You'll only overtax and destroy the other person in the process. The people that ought to marry are people who have become complete persons in their own right and bring to a relationship the fullness of personhood to be shared with another complete, fulfilled person. Marriage can serve best for people who could easily stay single. If you feel like you have to be married, 1 really worry for you.

Dr. Tony Campolo

A BOY SAID TO HIS GIRLFRIEND, "I'm afraid I can't marry you, Jane. I'm rheumatic." "What difference does that make," asked Jane. "I'll go to my church and you can go to yours."

WORDS INSUFFICIENT. A child can be told a dozen timesaday "1 loveyou,"
but if the words are not backed up by relevant behavior, he only becomes frustrated.
The child's subconscious mind consistently must be fed a message of caring and
love. Every child is unique and will interpret life's messages differently, but the way
he interprets them will determine his self image.                                Marie Shropshire

IN A STUDY OF 600 TEENAGERS who attended a VD clinic in New York, only 21% reported having received any sex information from their parents. Ignorance can also breed pain.

TEEN SEX EDUCATION. First, we should give our sons and daughters a
happy, loving home in which they see a wholesome expression of sexuality by their
parents. Second, we should help them thoroughly understand their bodies and
feelings associated with sex. Then, through teaching and example at home and at
church, share with them—not a negative morality centering on don'ts, but a positive
morality based on the worth of each individual and his responsibility to himself, to
others, and to God.                                                          Wilson Wayne Grant, M.D.

MORE LIKELY. Children from single-parent families are 7 times more likely to become chronic truants than children from two-parent families.

Chicago Suburban Tribune

LAUGHTER fosters intimacy and encourages touch and communication. Reflect
back to your early days of dating and you may recall that one of the first signs of
attraction was the ability to effortlessly laugh together. The cause of the laughter
may have been inane, but it was spontaneous and meaningful - a bridge to more
openness and honesty. Kids laugh all the time, lovers laugh, but married people
too often forget how to laugh, and this everything-is-so-serious approach to life
may ultimately threaten the marriage.                                                       Peter Kreitler

SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES with children under 18 now number 6 million—a 79% increase in this decade. One in 5 households is managed by a single person. By 1985, that is projected to be one in 3 or 4. Today 45% of all children will live in a single parent home before they reach age 18.

N.Y. Times

BOTH PARENTS NEEDED. The religious beliefs of children can best be predicted by looking at the beliefs of their mothers. Their "sense of piety and church attendance" are more often reflections of their father's religious practices.

Sociologists Alan Acock & Vern Bengston

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