Parents Teach Your Children TOV!

I was scrolling through FB the other day and I came upon a wonderful video I had to share. The story takes place in Thailand. Briefly, a mother who is a fruit vender with a cart, with no education appears to be scratching out a living. Her little daughter sees other children enjoying ice cream, but there is no money for her to do the same. Her mother shows her how to cut a pineapple and to make a pop which is put on ice. Her daughter suggests selling them. She takes her pops to the market, but no one buys.

When the girl returned discouraged, her mother tells her this -- go to the market and watch what the other sellers do and you see the little light go on! She did and then she ran home and made her signs and started calling out her wares -- and she was successful. Her mother, whom I'm sure was wondering what she could she possibly teach her daughter, said, "Someday, when I am no longer here, I know she will be just fine."

A recent survey asked a group of younger parents what they felt the role of a parent should be. There were some surprising answers.

A number responded that they wanted to make their children happy, some said to be their best friend, others talked about providing, a few spoke about religion and family values.

I found it interesting that no one answered, "To make sure my children can take care of themselves when I'm not here, to provide them with a Values Standard, by living it ourselves, that will enable them to make good decisions for themselves and for others."

The mother in the video also stressed the importance of being able to solve problems on our own. Helping people evaluate a situation, look for the best options and taking action, is part of Empowered Decision Making!

What does this have to do with TOV? Well, to be TOV, Words Thoughts and Actions must PROTECT LIFE, PRESERVE LIFE MAKE LIFE MORE FUNCTIONAL AND INCREASE THE QUALITY OF LIFE. All of those things were reflected in the actions of that little girl's mother.

TOV belongs not only in the spiritual realm, but in the practical one as well – after all TOV is about Life, all parts of Life!

So parents, Teach Your Children TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

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