Today in our country, a major topic of discussion is how to improve our educational system in America. However, I believe the first and most important classroom is the home. It is in the context of home and family that the most basic values are learned; values that guide us throughout our lives. The best teaching team is a loving father and mother. This truth is reflected in the old saying,
"And these words...shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children; and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise."
These crucial lessons are not only taught with words but by the examples of caring parents. Many single parents are heroically trying to provide this "classroom" by themselves, but it’s very difficult. There are many statistics that support the fact that children who are born and raised in a healthy two-parent family have a much better chance at life. They have lower rates of teenage pregnancy, delinquency, school drop out rates, substance abuse and many other social ills. As we enter the new millennium, one of the most positive things we can do for children is to increase the number of children who are born and raised in healthy, two-parent families. As supporters of HMGR let us strive to make our own homes the "first classroom" where values are taught. Let us be examples of that best teaching team of a loving mother and father. This is important for the next generation and the generations to come.
