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Thought for the Day : Proverbs 10:1

v.1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother .

Sonship. Two sons, one wise, one foolish. We're not told what wise or foolish means, we're taken to understand that. We'll find that out as we consider the proverbs which so often contrast them.

We'll know what sort of son a young man is by his words and his actions. It will be quite clear. What is highlighted here is the effect they will have on their parents, and to see this we need to understand something of the general way fathers and mothers work!

Fathers tend to look with expectation on their children, they want them to achieve well. Mothers, on the other hand, tend to be more concerned when the child has difficulties. Thus the wise son has greater impact on the father, and the foolish son on the mother. These are generalities but true never the less. The father tends to think better of the son who does well and be little concerned when he runs into difficulties (“he'll learn by it!”). Meanwhile mother, although proud of her achieving son, actually gets more stirred when a son goes astray.

Are you a mother? Keep on being concerned for your son (or daughter), he needs your care, even though as an adult, he needs it from a distance. Are you a father? Keep on looking for the good in your son (or daughter) and give them the blessing of your praise.