Choice Comments: A Ten Commandments’ Tale

“everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions…there is no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “you’ve got to be responsible for who you’re with, and who you’re around and what you do; who you associate yourself and the situations that you put yourself in it is what it is, but there is a cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.” nypost.com

nick saban

legendary alabama football coach nick saban’s response to one of his players getting in legal trouble is a powerful life commentary.

while coach saban addressed “adult” choices, parents, in raising their children, make similar choices for their children. parents choose the places where their children hang out. do they take them to religious school? religious services? a library? or, do they let them run in locations unknown and unsupervised? parents choose the times when their children engage in activities. are children allowed to leave their house unsupervised at night? are children allowed to stay up all night playing video games only to be spent the next day? parents choose the individuals their children interact with. have parents inquired into the families and friends that their children are associating with? are these families encouraging substance abuse and promiscuity? or, are they promoting positive values? parents choose what their children’s activities. are they participating in positive programs such as music, the arts and sports? are they participating in activities that are positive and promote skill development and discipline? parents choose to place their children in situations. are they taken to synagogues and churches to participate in activities? are they taken to concerts where there is drug use? are they taken to areas where there are gang activities?

in essence, parents make gateway choices for their children. inevitably parents’ choices shape their adult childrens’ choices.

with this in mind, i would not be surprised if coach saban spends as much time with a recruit’s parents than the recruit in order to determine whether to award a scholarship. he likely understands that parents’ choices play a role in preventing their child from going down the wrong pathway. this role, of course, is their choice.

be well!!

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