With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man: The Spiritual Counsels of St. Paisios the Athonite - Volume 1

The New Generation - Part 7 of 18

“I have observed today that many children, especially those who are students, are harmed by their families. While they are basically good children, they are rendered useless. They do not put their mind to work; they have become insensitive. It is the parents who spoil them. Because the parents have gone through difficult years, they do not want their children to be deprived of anything. They don’t cultivate philotimo [See part 1 of 18] in their children, so that they can find joy in deprivation. It’s not that parents don’t mean well. It would be cruel to deprive a child that does not understand the reason for the deprivation. But it is right for the parents to try and help their children acquire a sort of monastic conscience — to rejoice when they do not have something they want. Now, with their goodness, with their indiscriminate goodness and generosity, parents are spoiling their children. They use no discernment, and end up stupefying them. These children expect to be served at all times; even a glass of water they will not get for themselves — supposedly because they are studying, and cannot afford to waste any time. And they end up spoiled — both boys and girls.”