Oche: “Dad, my friend…(name withheld) told me about his new cool Wii game, and said he thinks I should get it too. I told him that we already have one, although it’s not the newest version so I don’t need it; and also because my birthday is coming up, and I also want to attend the summer camp which cost a lot of money, and that you and mom are trying to save up some money.”

Me: “I’m so very proud of you for telling him that. I’m glad that you’re learning to set your priorities. Do you know what priority means?”

Oche: “Yeah, it means doing the important stuff first. Mom always tells me that.”

Me: “Exactly. See, there are so many things that we would like to do. But because we may not have enough money or time to do them all at once, we must set priorities and that’s what you did by telling your friend what you just told me. I want you to always remember that, and if you do, it will help you to make good choices. Right?”🖒

Oche: “Right.”🖒

It was such a sweet relief knowing that the virtues we teach our kids are paying off. Sometimes we don’t see it immediately. It requires purposeful and consistent effort. Will they always remember? Probably not. However, it’s being learnt and stored in their “hard drive” for the appropriate time to recall. I pray that we continue to impart the right values, even if we don’t see immediate results. I also pray that they will continue to draw from the values we teach them to enable them with good decision making. So help us, God. Amen!

– 4/8/17