My Mom came down for a few days to see us all and attend the Christmas drama at JBC. Having Mom around always prompts my brain to reminisce about growing up, how I was raised, how we raised our kids as a result and how our kids are raising theirs. I have been doing some fresh writing on the topic of how to raise champions because I am scheduled to do a seminar on parenting in Nevada next month. Probably the main thing my Mom taught me, and Patty and I had as a main goal raising our kids, and the more I counsel people I am even more convinced now that it is super important. That is to raise our kids to be able to stand alone. I am not talking about being indifferent or being a standoffish person. I am talking about being a person who does not get their self worth from other people. So many are obsessed with pleasing or impressing others, worried about what their opinion is of us. It makes us easily offended and hurt by the words and treatment of others, we don’t live with values and convictions that we own, but those of the people around us and they change all the time. We are easily intimidated and bullied. We can’t really serve others well and with right motives until we are free of being controlled by their opinion of us and how they treat us. So many parents today get upset if their kids aren’t treated well by others. It is better to take advantage of those events to teach them to rise above what others do and say. When I was in grade school a kid named Fred would steal my lunch and eat it. I told my Mom and the next morning she had two lunches made for me and told me to give one to Fred on the bus ride to school. Seemed stupid to me but I did it and repeated the action regularly and Fred became a good friend and because he was such a big kid a great protector from other bullies in school. The basic lesson learned from my Mom was don’t react to others bad behavior, but do what is right for God’s approval and you will get worth and value straight from Him. Jesus said to do good to those who mistreat you. Not very many people live by that principle today.