Fridays Are For Family – Ten Principles For “Grown Ups”

29 Jun Fridays Are For Family – Ten Principles For “Grown Ups”

I’m a “people watcher.” I admit it. One of my favorite pastimes is what I call “people watching.” I’m constantly watching, observing, people as I go throughout my day. I watch people everywhere. I watch people at the mall. I watch people when I’m at a restaurant. I watch people when we’re at the playground. I watch people at the office. I watch people at church. I watch people in my neighborhood. I love watching people.

One of the reasons I like watching people so much is because that’s the way that I learn. I learn best, and most, by observation. When I was growing up I had to see something work before I could fully understand it. Simply telling me how to work a math problem or put together a train track wasn’t sufficient. I had to see somebody else do it first.

Another reason I like watching people is because it makes me thankful for the upbringing my parents gave me. Sure, I didn’t like it so much at the time, but now that I have children of my own, I am so glad that my parents cared enough about me to make me “grow up.” (I realize now that it wasn’t an easy job taking three boys and turning them into three men.)

This is a major problem that I see as go about my hobby of “people watching” – many children never cease being children. We have an entire generation of kids that aren’t willing to leave their parent’s basement (or health insurance) and get out, get a job and get on with their life. In fact, a new – and troubling – phenomenon in our modern society is that of “thirty-somethings” still living at home with this parents.

Now, from my observation, this reluctance to grow up isn’t entirely the fault of our young people. In fact, I place a great deal of the blame at the feet of today’s parents. For some reason many parents simply aren’t willing to do what is necessary to equip their children with the tools to make it in “grown up world.” Maybe its because many of them never learned what it really means to be an “adult” themselves. Maybe the reason is because it takes dedication and determination on the part of parents to help children move into adulthood. Perhaps it is because so many today want to be their child’s friend instead of their mom or dad.

Becoming an adult isn’t so much about age as it is about accountability and responsibility. It means that you are now free to make your own decisions and then live with the consequences. It means that you are no longer able to just coast through life, living off of your parents, but you have to get out, grow up and become the person that God created you to be.

So, with that in mind, let me share –

Ten Principles For “Grown Ups.”

1.  Maturity Is marked In The “Little Things.”

2.  If you don’t handle your money, it will handle you.

3.  If you can’t get along at home, you won’t get along anywhere.

4.  The more decisions you make, the better decisions you’ll make.

5.  Take care of your body – it’s the only one you have.

6.  Learn to laugh at yourself, not others.

7.  Fix what you break.

8. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

9.  You’ll always live somewhere – take care of your “somewhere.”

10. Walk with God and you’ll never be alone.

The apostle Paul talked about the principle of “growing up” in his first letter to the church at Corinth. He said, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Cor. 13:11) Practice these principles, and teach them to your children, because in an ever increasing juvenile world the great need is for some godly “grown ups.”