Pathway to heaven?

The ultimate goal in life is to get to heaven, right? The pathway to heaven is not paved in gold, there are rocks (or boulders), there are puddles and holes, but there are also railings and helpful hands and most importantly there is God.

As a soon-to-be parent, how do I make sure I am helping my child to eventually, after a long long life, get to heaven? The culture today is filled with violence and vulgarity and as hard as my husband and I may try, we won't be able to shield our children from it forever. So the question is, how do we, how does anyone help guide our child(ren) to make smart choices, to choose the good in a world filled with so much evil?

1.) Attend Mass every weekend as a family (and weekdays if possible), not only will children hear and feel the presence of our Lord, but will see other families and celebrate with them.

2.) Spend time as a family away from electronics such as the television, computer, cell phones etc. This means that the attention is on one another, not on things. (My siblings and I loved game nights)

3.) Volunteer, whether at a soup kitchen or by donating old clothing or toys; it will show kids the value of helping others. (Every Christmas morning my family and I get up at 5:00 a.m. and feed the homeless).

4.) Share meals together, if you have a busy schedule, at least sit down for dinner as a family, talk about one anothers day.

5.) Pray together. Set aside time once a day, a few times a week and say prayers. God is the most important part of a family so talk to him as a family.

These are just a few suggestions, things that I have grown up with that have had a positive impact on me. These suggestions are ways that I feel I can help lead my children in the right direction, so they can walk the pathway to one day enter the gates of heaven.