Proverbs 22:6

There is a modern proverb that most of us have heard that says: 'the hand that rocks the cradle controls the world.' While not all proverbs found outside the Bible are true, this one is. And it's true because the person who rocks the cradle will also be the person who will have the greatest impact on the moral and spiritual development of the child. As a result of this impact, the child in the cradle will be influenced for either good or evil depending upon the moral and religious beliefs of the one doing the rocking. The mind of a young child is like a sponge that is waiting to be filled. Now, this is a truth found not only in Scripture (Proverbs 22:6), but in the secular world as well. For not more than a year ago a study was conducted in which researchers attempted to find the age at which children appeared to establish a moral foundation. Based upon their research it was determined that by the age of 3, a child's basic ideas of good and evil, right and wrong were pretty well set. And this is why we have Christian daycare centers, Sunday school classes, and children's church - all designed to influence the young for good. Now because children do learn at such a young age the job of raising children in a fallen, sinful world is a huge responsibility, a responsibility that for the most part falls on the shoulders of those women who go about the business of being mothers. And it really doesn't matter if these women are mothers according to nature, or mothers by proxy as in the case of nannies, stepmothers, or daycare workers, because they all fulfill the same role as guides and teachers to those whom God has placed in their care.