Last night as Faith and I were driving, we flipped to the John Tesh Radio Show (insert snide remark and chuckle here). On it he talked a bit about modern parents who tend to "outsource" their duties. Ok, before I continue, I feel as if I should defend myself for listening to John Tesh. So here I go--
Yes, John Tesh was a cheesy host for Entertainment Tonight many moons ago.
Yes, he perpetually looks as if he was beamed up from the cast of Miami Vice.
And yes, when he hits the piano, most of his music isn't original.

BUT, the man can flat-out play the piano...or "tickle the ivory", as my good friend Carlton says.
And as a believer, Tesh is a real advocate for worship music.
Finally, his show really isn't that bad. He promotes it as "Intelligence for Your Life", by playing light rock and giving tips, stats, and practical suggestions for everyday living.

Anyways, back to my story--so Tesh was talking about parents nowadays "outsourcing" their duties and/or roles to others. He hit on the fact that parents used to be parents without really worrying about how they did their job as parents. There wasn't a whole bunch of pop-psychology going around to confuse folks. So, parents typically just raised their kids in the same way they themselves were raised. Tesh notes that researchers have been studying parenting and familes for decades now, so many moms and dads are slowly becoming interested in what the "experts" have to say. Additionally, with the skyrocketing rise of families falling apart (divorce, absentee fathers, etc.), many parents are looking to do the best, or at the very least, give their children the best they can afford. He continues this thought by saying that parents will devote tons of money and endless amounts of time towards giving their kids the best of the best. They'll pay thousands of dollars to send their child to private school, pick them up from that school and take them to sports or music lessons that can cost almost as much as school! It's becoming a sort of epidemic, Tesh claims, because many parents today are paying others to raise their children for them. He closes up the piece by noting a survey of children in which it was found that the overwhelming majority of children do not want the best piano teacher or the elite travelling soccer club. Children want their parents! They want dad to coach...mom to mentor.

As soon as he made this statement, I nearly shouted an 'Amen!' As I look back over my childhood, I remember all that my parents did for me. They wanted the best for me, for sure. We even did the elite travelling soccer club deal for a while, which meant too much money dished out to spend 6-8 hours/week practicing and many weekends out-of-town. While those times were fun at times, that's not what I'm most fond of. I look back and smile on the many years I spent in the city rec programs, where I played soccer, basketball, and t-ball. Why am I most proud of the rec leagues? The competition was typically sub-par. So were our uniforms and fields for that matter! I loved those years of rec play because most of my teams were coached by my father. And on some of those odd years, my younger brother even became my teammate. I didn't necessarily develop my skills the most during that time. My love for whatever sport was in season didn't really strengthen either. What did develop and strengthen was my love for my family and the values they've tried to pass on to my brother and me over the years. I would no doubt be a different man now had my parents passed me off to some other parent to coach me during rec league, or if they had allowed me to stick with the travelling soccer club.

Realizing this, I'm undeniably grateful for the experience of having parents involved and imbedded in all that was me. As Faith and I ponder the prospect of becoming parents ourselves, this idea of involvement is something I hope I can duplicate myself.