(Minghui.org) All parents want their children to achieve great things. But in today’s troubled times, can parents actually help their children fulfill their wishes by ordinary means, given the chaos in the world today? Our own experience says we cannot. Very often, we see bringing up our children as a duty to complete, while, in fact, only Dafa can truly help our children get rid of their bad habits and become young Dafa disciples who strive forward with a positive attitude in assisting Master to save sentient beings. I would like to share some stories about my son.
Nowadays, probably every parent is aware of the harm that playing video games does to children. With their minds filled with violence, they often have trouble concentrating on their studies, and their thoughts and behavior are affected. Children who are addicted to playing video games often show an overall decline in learning and moral character. Some people even say that such games can ruin a child’s entire life. But how can we keep children away from such pervasive temptations?
Back in China, my son attended a private school, which had a pretty good learning atmosphere and didn’t let the children play video games. However, the teachers couldn’t keep an eye on what the children did after school, such as in extracurricular activities or their hobby classes.
My son learned how to play video games from the teacher in an extracurricular class, where they were learning how to play Go. We didn’t know anything about it at the time. My son knew that we wouldn’t let him play video games, so he kept us in the dark even after he became addicted to them. When we eventually found out, he was already so enthralled with video games that he couldn’t control himself. When we refused to allow him to play, he would argue with us aggressively, not like a child anymore. It was really frightening. There have been many conflicts between parents and their children over this issue. In the end, my wife got so angry that she smashed my son’s tablet, but that still didn’t stop him. My son’s grades at school were falling, too.
My wife was in despair. Then she thought, “I’m a Dafa practitioner. I must not react to this like an ordinary person. Only Master and Dafa can help him.” So, she stopped getting angry at our son and arranged for him to attend a weekly Fa study group at a diligent practitioner’s home. The room where they studied was beautifully decorated with flowers, and she made tasty snacks for the children afterward. The children loved the group study and shared their cultivation experiences. My son shared how he looked inward to remove his attachments.
One day, he handed me the computer equipment he used to secretly play video games. Even though a few days later he was sorry he’d done it as he could no longer play, he never asked to have it back. The weekly Fa study he attended helped him a great deal and he eventually gave up playing video games, which had affected him for years, completely. He said to me one day after Fa study, “Dad, I suddenly feel that I have no interest whatsoever in playing video games anymore.”
After that, my son’s grades improved, and the Fa study also laid a solid foundation for his cultivation later on. In less than six months, he was admitted to a dance class in an arts school in the U.S.
My son went to board at the school when he was 13. At first, he was very diligent in cultivation and in all his studies. He attended the one-hour Fa study at the school every day, and he asked senior students to wake him up in the morning to do the exercises with them. His teachers and fellow students all liked him.
But as time went on, he began to slack off. Some of the students were not very diligent, some were children of non-practitioners, and some even played video games.
Thankfully, the school held regular parent meetings, and the teachers communicated with the parents frequently, especially if there were any issues with their children, such as tardiness or unexplained absences. The teachers would also promptly inform the parents via email with details when their children were not doing well.
After a while, I learned from his teachers and classmates that he was not as diligent as when he first arrived, and he did not appreciate his learning opportunities as much as before. I got really worried about him, thinking that, if it had not been for Master’s help and arrangement, my son would not have been able to study in the U.S. If he did not cherish such a precious opportunity for cultivation and professional studies, how could he live up to Master’s compassionate kindness and arrangement?
I talked with many successful parents seeking advice, and they told me that the most important thing was to study the Fa with my son, and the rest would take care of itself. I also talked with six other practitioners while we were promoting Shen Yun together, and they said the same thing: “Keep your son with you, and encourage him to study the Fa more often.” I took their advice and moved near my son’s school so that I could pick him up every day after school.
Every day, the first thing we did after we got home was to study Zhuan Falun. A few days later, each time I picked him up, he would tell me how fast he was improving in his dance techniques and that he was also doing better in his studies. Sometimes he told me that he had found another attachment and let go of it.
Once we established the Fa study routine, my son never needed me to remind him. Every day after he put down his school bag, he would call me to study the Fa with him. Nearly two months later, his dance teachers asked him how he was able to make such good progress in his dancing skills. His academic teachers told me that he would soon be able to answer questions and explain how he solved math problems in English.
His teacher asked him if he spent much time studying at home after school. “Not really,” he told them. “I just keep up with studying one lecture of Zhuan Falun with my dad every day, and on weekends, we sometimes study two or three lectures a day.”
Dafa can truly change everything. Within six months, my son was admitted to an even more prestigious arts academy. It is so true that “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners, for your kind advice!
The above is my own understanding I wanted to share. Please kindly point out anything improper in the sharing.
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