Parents as Inspirers

My notes and impressions of Chapter 3 of Parents & Children by Charlotte Mason. This chapter discusses how parents can affect their child's character from an interesting scientific, psychological viewpoint.

1. Mr. Adolf Monod contends that every child has a right to a higher life at the hands of his parents. Parents are charged with the great task of leading their children into the spiritual life of the intelligence and moral sense. However, many parents fail to launch the child into higher life, a more blessed life.
2. Countless evidence suggests that a careless parent may bring upon her child unnecessary and unforeseen trouble; likewise, a conscientious parent may introduce the well of blessings for her children. Parents must come to apprehend that God uses them as the chief means to share His gifts and that He is honored when we keep His commands. We must strive to understand His law ourselves and that it is also written upon the hearts of our children. With thanksgiving and heartfelt gratitude, parents will see in the simple, ordinary ways just how merciful and gracious God is toward those who love Him and keep His commands.
3. Solomon's wise words "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" is more than a promise. It is a statement of fact based upon the author's countless examples and experience. Heeding this wisdom or not, fruit will bear. Training in righteousness will bear sweet fruit. Conversely, no training in righteousness will bear bitter fruit. The results are inevitable.
4. Children will inherit many traits and natural inclinations from parents, grandparents, etc...This inherited nature is the foundation upon which the character will be formed.
5. Disposition is the sum of certain natural tendencies and inclinations. Character is learned or rather built upon as life and experiences proceed. "Original disposition is modified, directed, expanded by education; by circumstances; later, by self-control and self-culture; above all by the supreme agency of the Holy Ghost, even where that agency is little suspected and as little solicited." (Parents & Children, p. 23)
6. Every impression upon the mind leaves a mark in the brain tissue. "This physiological process , whatever be its nature, is the physical basis of all our mental functions." That mark may be called a residue or trace or a dormant idea. All feelings leave behind this structural imprint and "lay the foundation of modes of thought, feeling, and action." Once active, these feelings leave a large residua affecting the future formation of character, that apart from the original disposition, lead to traits of "contentment, melancholy, cowardice, bravery, and even moral feeling." These are generated from individual life experiences.
7. As parents and primary teachers of our children, we are responsible to "lay the foundation for the development of all mental functions" by seeing to it that the earliest impressions formed upon the brains of our children be noble, worthy, good, true, joyful, beautiful, neat, orderly, sweet, soft and pure. "These memories remain throughout life, engraved upon the unthinking brain." This is weighty thought that everything my child sees or hears is leaving an indelible mark in his memory.

Some practical things parents can affect for the development of their future adults even in the early years:

• His definite ideas about certain subjects, such as how he relates to other people.
• His habits in things like neatness or disorder, promptness and moderation.
• Whether the general way he thinks is affected by generosity or selfishness.
• The way he feels and what he does as a result of the way he thinks.
• What he thinks about--the trivial affairs of daily life, nature, the way the mind works, how God relates to people.
• His distinguishing talent--music, speaking, creativeness.
• The way the disposition of his character shows and affects his family and others he interacts with regularly--reserved or open, sullen or friendly, depressed or cheerful, timid or confident. (P&C, Modern Paraphrase, p. 27-28)