Education with Love
As stated above, every person is a world unto himself, a singular and unique world that never existed before and will never exist again. The parent is required, from within his own world, to connect to the private and unique world of the soul entrusted to him, and to help that soul enter safely onto the path meant specifically for it.
And not only that. The help and guidance the parent gives must be meaningful and lasting, so that “even when he grows old, he will not depart from it.” Even if trials, difficulties, and storm winds arise, Heaven forbid, the education he received should stand firm like a tree planted beside streams of water, enduring forever.
In other words, the educator is being asked to imprint the heart of the child with a mark of education — a mark whose effect will be visible and will never be erased.
Certainly, imprinting such a mark requires great wisdom. We will therefore present several points that help one in achieving the desired goal.
The first foundation of parenting is love — true love that does not depend on any external factor.
A parent must truly love his child, with all his heart. And if, for whatever reason, he does not feel capable of doing so, he must stop the rush of life and cry out before Heaven: “Master of the universe! What terrible emotional darkness am I in!”
Yet even after one truly loves the child, he must know that love alone is not enough. It is not enough for love to remain as a feeling hidden in the heart. It must also be expressed outwardly — through words, body language, a shining face, encouragement, and kind words.
We must know: this is the first and most essential foundation of education. Only in this way can we bind and connect the hearts of our children to us, and succeed in our role of helping them stand firmly in life, without inner rupture, without internal battles, and without needless emotional complications.
But when this is not the case, Heaven forbid, and parents think that their role is merely to bring children into the world and then leave them to manage on their own — to grow however they wish, to do whatever enters their minds, as long as they do not disturb them — such parents, cause tremendous damage to their children’s souls. They constrict the child’s inner world, conceal his strengths, and cover over his talents.
