The well-being and welfare of children should always be our

In the words of Todd Tiahrt: “The well-being and welfare of children should always be our focus.” This statement, though brief, carries within it a truth as enduring as humanity itself. For the strength of any people, the greatness of any nation, does not lie in the might of its armies nor the wealth of its treasuries, but in the health, safety, and flourishing of its children. They are the seed of tomorrow, the carriers of all hopes, the living scroll upon which the story of the future is written. To neglect them is to invite decay; to cherish them is to secure eternity.

The ancients themselves understood this truth. In Sparta, the upbringing of the young was a matter of state, for the elders knew that the city would be defended not by the men of today, but by the boys who would one day grow into warriors. In Athens, too, the nurture of youth was held sacred, with philosophy and the arts given to children so that the soul of the city might endure. What Tiahrt declares in modern words is a wisdom long known: that if we lose our focus on the welfare of children, we lose the very heart of civilization.

Consider the story of Janusz Korczak, a physician and educator in Warsaw during the Second World War. When the Jewish orphans under his care were ordered to be sent to the camps, he was offered safety if he would abandon them. Yet he refused. He chose to walk with them to their fate, comforting them even as the world betrayed them. Though powerless to save their lives, his devotion proclaimed a truth greater than any empire: that the well-being of children is sacred, and that a society which fails to protect its young has already condemned itself.

Tiahrt’s words also remind us that the focus of parents, leaders, and communities must rise above selfish pursuits. Too often, adults are consumed by power, ambition, or wealth, while the needs of the small and voiceless are overlooked. But the measure of true greatness lies not in what we build for ourselves, but in what we leave for our children. Roads, monuments, and riches may crumble, but a generation raised in health, wisdom, and love will carry the world forward with strength undimmed.

This teaching also bears a warning. Where the welfare of children is ignored, decay soon follows. History is filled with empires that fell not from external attack, but from the corruption within. When greed overtook duty, when neglect overshadowed nurture, when children were left in poverty and ignorance, the roots of society rotted, and collapse was inevitable. Thus, to make children our focus is not merely a kindness—it is survival itself, the preservation of all that is noble and enduring.

The lesson is clear: if you would build a better world, begin not with fortresses or treasures, but with the care of the young. Protect them from harm, guide them with wisdom, nurture them with love, and strengthen them with discipline. Teach them gratitude, courage, and compassion, for these virtues will outlast the wealth of kings. To give attention to their well-being is to secure the future; to honor their welfare is to honor life itself.

Practical action is within the reach of all. If you are a parent, place the needs of your children above fleeting comforts, shaping their lives with patience and devotion. If you are a teacher, see your work not as labor, but as the molding of souls. If you are a leader, remember that every law, every policy, must be measured by its impact on the youngest and most vulnerable. And if you are a neighbor, a citizen, a friend—know that every act of kindness to a child is an offering made to the future.

Thus, Tiahrt’s words resound like a commandment of old: the well-being and welfare of children must always be our focus. For they are the torchbearers of all that we dream, the heirs of all that we build, and the guardians of all that we leave behind. To cherish them is wisdom, to protect them is duty, and to guide them is love. And in doing so, we not only save the future—we sanctify the present.