Giving our Kids Perspective

"What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun." -- Ecclesiastes 1:9


The wonderful thing about kids is everything is new to them. We notice things anew because the kids point out things we have long since forgotten.

We need to steer our kids in their enthusiasm. Most things are just recycled ideas. The wise writer in Ecclesiastes said it: "there is nothing new under the sun."

Kids can understand current events better if they understand the history. We need to make them understand that history didn't start when they were born; they plopped down in the middle of it and to get their bearings about where we are, they need to understand where we've been.

What are some of the ways we can give our kids perspective?

• If a new movie comes out that they think is great and it's a remake of another film, tell them about the original.
• If a new toy comes out that's just a recycle of something from your childhood, tell them about your memories of playing with the old toy.
• To help them understand current events between countries, explain what you know about how they've gotten to the current point. If you don't understand, now is a good time to read and figure it out yourself.

Giving your kids perspective helps them to be more skeptical of things they see. It gives them a frame of reference for evaluating things they see.

Do you do something so that your kids understand what's going on around them? Do you even think it's important? Why or why not?