The Home: A Factory for Producing Good Individuals

FL 21-11 The Home: A Factory for Producing Good Individuals Preparing the next generation is a mother ’s responsibility. The human generation is like a flowing river, where the water is continually replaced. In human beings too, the new replaces the old. And a mother plays the crucial role of preparing this new generation. The responsibility of supplying good human beings to every generation devolves upon her. How do you define a good person? A good person is one who has the courage to face life; one who is endowed with a positive attitude, who is constructive and makes a positive congenial contribution to society. What is a mother ’s role in this regard? Let us illustrate this with the example of Nancy Alwa Edison, Thomas Elwa Edison’s (d 1931) mother. Edison was hard of hearing from birth, and in consequence performed badly in school. He was eventually expelled as a retarded child. But Edison’s mother played a constructive role in shaping her son’s future. She implanted the idea in her son’s mind that he was not retarded, and that this impediment was a challenge. She made Edison’s education her mission, and encouraged her son to use his natural abilities to overcome his