Choosing a Course of Action

Many neglect their duty during the first years of their children's lives, thinking that when they get older, they will then be very careful to repress wrong and educate them in the right. But the very time for them to do this work is when the children are babes in their arms. It is not right for parents to pet and humor their children; neither is it right for them to abuse them. A firm, decided, straightforward course of action will be productive of the best results.  

Child Guidance, p. 194  

The First Seven Years

Too much importance cannot be placed on the early training of children. The lessons that the child learns during the first seven years of life have more to do with forming his character than all that it learns in future years.

Child Guidance, p. 193

Early Education Begins at Home

It is in the home that the education of the child is to begin.

Child Guidance, p. 17

More Than Mere Instruction

Education means much more than mere instruction.

Child Guidance, p. 24

The Capacity for Inventive Thought and Decisive Action

“Children, even when very young, have the capacity for inventive thought and decisive action. They have worthwhile ideas. They make perceptive connections. They’re individuals from the start: a unique bundle of interests, talents, and preferences. They have something to contribute. They want to be a part of things.

It’s up to us to give them the opportunity to express their creativity, explore widely, and connect with their own meaningful work.”

Lori Pickert

You Plant the Tree

"During the first seven years, the foundation for a child's character is most easily built. . .parental influence is greater today than tomorrow! You are the owner of an orchard. You prepare the soil. You plant the tree. You nurture; you water; you shape and prune. You know your orchard --- every tree is different. Some grow straight and tall and naturally open their branches to the sun. Other trees need support. As children begin to bend to the elements, they need you to train them: to straighten their trunks, to prune damaging growth, to spread their branches. But, with each passing year, the trunk gets more set; the branches more firm. The type of care the orchard will require in the future, and its productivity, will depend on the type of care you are willing to provide when the trees are young. You are the owner of an orchard."

Kay Kuzma, Building Your Child's Character from the Inside Out
page 3