Appreciate and enjoy this special, sweet, wonderful—and all too brief—time in their lives.

Dhildren today are exposed to many situations that raise questions and can lead to anxiety. Deteriorating social trends, news from the radio and television and information received from friends prompts them to ask questions. They lose their childhood innocence far too quickly.

Slowing the pace: The rapid pace of change in our society, partly due to technology and globalization, often adversely affects our children. What can parents do? We can begin by slowing down the pace. Living in this fast-paced world is difficult for our little ones. They need free time to enjoy being kids.

According to a study by the University of Michigan, between 1981 and 2001 the amount of free time children had left over after sleeping, eating, studying and participating in organized activities decreased from 40 percent to 25 percent.

Some experts in child psychology believe that depression and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in children is related to stress from their hectic routines. Quiet time can be a blessing. It allows room for dreaming, imagination and creativity.

In The Strong Family (Zondervan, 1994), Charles Swindoll writes, “Scripture clearly states, ‘There is an appointed time for everything.’ How about time to be a child? How about time to grow up slowly, carefully, yes, even protected, and dare I add, a little naive? How about time to ‘speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child?”

We can manage and control the pace of change in the lives of our children and bring back the wonder of childhood.

Being responsible for decisions: In the parent-child relationship, the parent is the one in authority. Don’t give that authority away. Children feel safe and secure when a loving adult takes charge.

Writing in Parents magazine, Diana Baumrind of the University of California at Berkeley explains that “authoritative parents (parents who set firm limits but were warm, rational and receptive) were the most likely to have self-reliant, self-controlled and contented children.”

Parents can undermine their authority by giving in too easily. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, authors of Boundaries with Kids (Zondervan, 2002), provide this example: “A child may be adopting reactive behavior such as having tantrums. The smiling, happy child turns into a screaming maniac when you, for example, say no to his desire.

“A tantrum doesn’t solve anything. The child needs to use these feelings to move him to action, to address the issue at hand. He should think about his responses and choose the best one available. From a loving, firm position, you can help your child mature his reactive (tantrum) boundaries into love and reality based proactive (responsibility, problem-solving) boundaries.”

By exercising parental authority, we help our children take ownership of their behavior and feelings.

Instructing with Christian values: In today’s world, young children often acquire sophisticated tastes and wants. Excess imagery assaults them constantly, pushing them to focus on clothes, personal appearance, games, toys and so on. Our media-driven culture makes it difficult to direct children toward the spiritual. If parents fail to teach spiritual values to their children, the world will supply them with its values.

Deuteronomy 6:6, 7 says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up …” (NIV)

“We need to think of the home as a training place, not a showplace,” Charles Swindoll says, “The home is a laboratory where experiments are tried out on a daily basis.”

Look for and take the time to use teachable moments. Talk about commonplace things—just as Jesus did with his disciples. Parents also teach by their lifestyle. God has promised to be faithful to us despite the culture around us.

Keeping minds and hearts pure: The Internet, violent computer games, explicit sex and violence in film and television—these powerful forces can corrupt our children and keep them from maintaining a healthy sense of innocence. A Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study conducted in 2004 revealed that 68 percent of television shows include sexual content—an increase from 56 percent in 1999.

The same foundation conducted a nationwide review of the media habits of children aged 2 through 18. It revealed children spend huge amounts of time in front of a TV or computer screen alone, and nearly one-fourth of school age kids watch television more than five hours a day.

Additionally, studies conducted in 2005 show that sexual content and the level of violence in video games are on the rise. The KidsRisk Project from Harvard School of Public Health reveals that video game content descriptors do not always reflect what is in the game concerning the severity of violence and graphic sexual content. As a result, parents cannot make informed decisions.

Do we allow our children to view anything they choose? Some years ago our family decided to discard our television set. (We sold it for $25 and went to dinner on the proceeds.) We have not regretted that decision. My husband and I spend more time now in conversation with our children.

Choosing wholesome activities: According to Christian authors, Ken and Claudia Arp, speakers on Family Workshop, many children watch television because they are bored. They recommend replacing television with productive and intriguing activities that help recapture the imagination of children and improve family time. Consider activities such as board games, family projects, outdoor activities, family dinners and reading for pleasure. Unstructured family time also gives kids an opportunity to enjoy their childhood.

Young children derive pleasure from simple playthings. They enjoy stories, plays, puppet shows and family games. Enhance your child’s experience by including mom and dad in these activities. Storytelling distracts them from life’s cares. It also develops their imagination, creativity and sense of self.

Visits to the library can be rewarding for young children, as long as parents monitor the activity. Author Sharon Sheppard, in “Keeping Kids Safe in Cyberspace,” writes, “Many libraries allow kids to surf the Internet without any restrictions. Kids can stumble across pornography unintentionally—once it is viewed, the scenes may never be erased from their minds.”

Some tips for a sense of family unity:

• Have family meals and time for socializing at the table.
• Treasure the “routine” activities at every stage (play, bedtime reading).
• Worship together once a week.
• Pray with your children.
• Promote family affection. (Kids need lots of affection. Establish a close relationship in which kids can feel comfortable talking and know they are being heard.)
• Pursue family fun and foster lifelong enrichment (turn off the television and play with your kids).
• Keep your family traditions alive and make new ones.
• Acquaint your children with their history and heritage.
• Assign chores tailored to the child’s age.

The days of childhood pass all too quickly.

My husband says to our young son, “Stop acting like a child!” He responds, “But, Daddy, I am a child.” They both laugh.

By being patient when our children behave in an exuberant and noisy manner, we will often rediscover the wonder of childhood, too. As parents, it is our God-given duty and privilege to guide and to guard our little ones through life. We can depend on the promise given to us in Proverbs 22:6: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (NIV).

We need much wisdom to deal honestly and helpfully with their questions. Let’s appreciate and enjoy this special, sweet, wonderful—and all too brief—time in their lives.

Patricia J. Davis is a homemaker and freelance writer living in Philadelphia. She describes herself as “undenominational.”