We played board games today, a young family and I; father, mother, and two elementary school-aged children. Games are a favorite past time with them. From games, the children have learned skills: fair play, mental and physical dexterity, waiting their turn, and honesty, even if it means they lose sometimes.

Before the girls learned to read, their parents daily read stories to them. Now they enjoy reading for themselves, which carries over into both the pleasure of losing themselves in a good book and into academic skills. They sometimes write stories of their own.

Other activities fill their lives: sports, church, visits with friends, and sometimes travel to a new place.

I’ve heard of the digital divide, the advantages of children who grow up with computers versus those who don’t. While watching that family today, I thought of the parent divide. I wish all children had the advantages these have: parents who love each other, love their children, and take responsibility for raising them.

Surely, the most important task in the world for parents, relatives, and communities is personal nurture of the young. How well does our current culture encourage this work?