Love God, Love Others, Serve the World...

February 23, 2009

Cost vs. Value

Do you focus on the "value" of your children, or do you spend most of your time considering how much they "cost?"

One woman had a table worth $600. She valued the table but decided to sell it and set the price at $400. A man came to purchase the table and liked it very much. He offered her $300. The woman explained to the man that the table was worth $600 and that she couldn't reduce the price any more. The woman felt as if she had reduced the price too much already.

The man thought about it and said, "Lady, we would both be happy if you would just change the price." The woman knew the man was right. She went back to the price tag and crossed out $400 and wrote $600. The man was shocked. The woman said, "The table is worth $600."

"But it costs so much."

The woman was focusing on the table's value; the man was looking at the cost.

Parents often do this with their children. Raising children has a high price tag that includes loss of sleep and fewer choices for your free time and money. You transport them from here to there and back here again. Children cost much more than parents ever imagined. If you focus too much on the cost, you miss the value. Parents who realize the value of their children conduct themselves differently and closeness is the result.

The man valued the table so he bought it. He took it home and put it in a special place. If anyone put a drink down on it, he quickly offered a coaster, wanting to protect that table. Why? He knew its value. It was worth a lot to him.

Children aren't possessions, they're treasures. Most parents don't realize what they're getting into when they bring that little bundle of cuteness home from the hospital. They may get irritated or lose some of the joy of parenting over the years. Part of the solution is to get your mind off the cost and onto the value of your children. They won't be around too long. When you recognize a child's value it's easier to show honor.

This parenting tip is taken from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. This book is about practical ways that parents can teach honor and model it in relationships.