Every parent wishes to give her children a better life than she had.  Every generation wants to make the world better for the next generation.

For decades, we have judged this hope by educational opportunity, financial achievement, and material possessions.  A growing national economy made these accomplishments relatively easy for many families during the 20th century.  Farmers and factory workers sent their children to college to jumpstart white-collar careers.  Those college graduates then used their prosperity to give their children the opportunity to attend the most prestigious colleges or pursue advanced degrees.  Every generation has offered the next more gadgets and technology than the previous generation ever imagined.  The size of our homes has quadrupled over the last 70 years, though the size of our families has shrunk.  One-car families became two-car families, which became three-car families.

But is this the best indication of parental and generational legacy?

What if every parent who wished to give his children a better life gave them. . .

• Unconditional love—constantly reminding them of his love and acceptance never wavers;
• A chore list—so they will learn responsibility and realize mom and dad are parents, not servants;
• Opportunities for achievement—nothing builds self-worth like a conquered challenge;
• Lessons for handling failure—nothing builds resolve like getting back up after a painful fall;
• Real-life examples of trustworthiness—a parent who keeps promises, whose word is her bond;
• A sense of duty to community & country—giving back out of gratitude for what you’ve been given;
• A faith that points them beyond themselves—the focus of the universe is not self.

If every parent who wished to give her children a better life than she had given them those gifts, not only would they become better people, but the world might become a better place.  If we worried more about giving the next generation a better character than giving them a better life, the latter could take care of itself.