99. 10 Things All Parents Should Do with Their Children

1. Climb a mountain
2. Teach them to play chess
3. Read a classic book
4. Go to a circus
5. Take them fishing
6. Watch a Charlie Brown TV special
7. Fly a kite
8. Go through a revolving door
9. Visit a national park
10. Honk while driving through tunnels

It is easy to get sentimental. The sights and sounds of childhood etch indelible memories which are recalled with dreamy fondness. The smell of a grandpa, the sight of shag carpet, the music that filled our living rooms, the taste of sweet corn, and the feel of hot pavement under our bare feet all bring back a flood of memories. It is only natural to want our children to relive those experiences with us. We eagerly buy the same music and books that we enjoyed in our youth. We eat the same meals, buy the same toys, and go to the same places. Are we trying to relive the same childhoods, or are we striving to give our children something different, something better, something fantastic?

I’ve done everything on the top list, but I haven’t done everything in the list below—yet. It is an interesting list to think through. The first list fills me with warm fuzzy feelings—the second … well, not so much. The first is a set of memories I have, the second, a set of memories I want my kids to have. The first is a list of want-tos, the second a list of shoulds. The second list makes me want to reevaluate my motives and my relationship with God. It stretches me. That is not a bad place to be.

10 Things All Christian Parents Should Do with Their Children

1. Put their arm around their kids at church
2. Pass out flyers door-to-door
3. Go on a mission trip
4. Read through the Bible together
5. Go on a prayer walk in a memorable place
6. Serve at a homeless shelter
7. Share their faith
8. Go to an all-night prayer service
9. Memorize a book of the Bible
10. Shovel a neighbor’s driveway

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