on parenting; Ambrose

The Old Testament says: ‘A foolish son is a grief to his father, and a bitterness to her that bore him. (Prov. 17:25), that is, a son who has not been instructed in the fear of God nor in the law of God. At the present time, many parents teach their children many things which ultimately are neither necessary nor beneficial, but take no care in instructing the children in the fear of God, or to fulfill the commandments of God, and to adhere to the teachings of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Because of this, children, for the most part, are disobedient and disrespectful to their parents, useless to themselves and to their country, and sometimes even dangerous.” - St. Ambrose

It will be enough if you take care to instruct your children in the fear of God, instill them with an Orthodox understanding, and by teaching them to be faithful, you protect them from reasoning that is foreign to the teachings of the Orthodox Church. The good that you sow in the hearts of your children while they are young will blossom forth in their hearts when they come to full maturity, after enduring the bitter trials of school and contemporary life, which often break off the branches of a good Christian upbringing at home.” – St. Ambrose

If you succeed in planting the fear of God in the hearts of your children, then the caprice of human behavior will not be able to harm them.” – St. Ambrose

At the appropriate time you can say to your daughter that as a good Christian girl she should read spiritual books, not just magazines, and she must not believe every foolish thing she reads without verifying it, for example, that man can be born from dust, and that man has evolved from monkeys. However, it is true that people have begun to imitate monkeys and have lowered themselves in behavior to the level of monkeys.” – St. Ambrose

Spot on. I haven't read anything by St. Ambrose that wasn't very good. These bits on education and parenting are wonderful.