Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old , he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

I just want to think for a moment about what we should teach our children.  I would like to take a different direction.  Yes, we should teach our children about the Gospel and about walking with God.  Yes, we should take them out with us when we go soul winning.  Allow me to take a different thought.  We should teach them what they should be interested in.  In other words we should help them to develop a non electronic hobby.

The average kid has one hobby, video games.  Then parents complain that all their kids do is play games.  Well, duh.  What are they being taught?  What about model cars, baseball cards, hunting, or fishing?

I have a unique hobby, it is straight razor shaving.  I have three razors that I have learned to hone and take care of.  It takes time and I enjoy it.  We live in a high tech world and we lack a high touch experience.  So for me, it is something I enjoy.  As my son gets older he will grow accustomed to that as my hobby and may develop an interest in it as well.  I hope to teach him the necessary patience and work that is needed to sharpen and maintain a blade.  I hope to teach him to set aside time every day to do something that he would enjoy and allow him to meditate.

I don’t mind the occasional game.  I played them as a kid.  I would prefer that he develop other interest.  That interest could be traditional shaving, or it could be something else.  What ever it happens to be it is my responsibility as dad to guide him towards an interest that he would enjoy and that would help teach him some valuable life lessons.