Mrs. Margaret Kunz Ruhe has been a Baha'i all her life. Her mother, who was one of the early Baha'is in Illinois, and her father, a distinguished scientist, made pilgrimage in 1921 and entered the presence of 'Abdu'l- Baha both in Tiberias and Haifa.

Mrs. Ruhe studied sociology and psychology at the University of Illinois, graduating with highest honours, and at Bryn Mawr College she earned a Master's Degree in Social Work. She worked as a family case worker and a medical social worker for a number of years.

Mrs. Ruhe served on six Local Spiritual Assemblies in the United States and on many regional and national committees. She gave courses on marriage and family life at various summer schools. She was a speaker for the Faith, and for five years she served as the Baha'i speaker on the "Panel of Americans". Her essay on "Parenting" combines her knowledge of the Baha'i Teachings with her knowledge of sociology and psychology.

Mrs. Ruhe lives in Haifa, Israel where her husband, Dr. David S. Ruhe, serves as a member of the Universal House of Justice.

Dr. and Mrs. Ruhe are parents of 2 sons. Christopher and his family are Baha'i Pioneers in Santiago, Chile, South America. Douglas and his family live in Nashville, Tennessee, USA where they are active in the work of the Baha'i Faith.

The education and training of children is among the most meritorious acts of humankind and draweth down the grace and favour of the All-Merciful, for education is the indispensable foundation of all human excellence....!

Education is the indispensable foundation of all human excellence. Parents will want to engrave these words on their minds and hearts for all time.

know ye that in God's sight, the best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and train them in all the perfections of humankind; and no nobler deed than this can be imagined.

Every child is potentially the light of the world and at the same time its darkness; wherefore must the question of education be accounted as of primary importance.

...in the new cycle, education and training are recorded in the Book of God as obligatory and not voluntary. That is, it is enjoined upon the father and mother, as a duty, to strive with all effort to train the daughter and the son, to nurse them from the breast of knowledge and to rear them in the bosom of sciences and arts. Should they neglect this matter, they shall be held responsible and worthy of reproach in the presence of the stern Lord.

As to thy question concerning training children: it is incumbent upon thee to nurture them from the breast of the love of God, to urge them towards spiritual matters, to turn unto God and to acquire good manners, best characteristics and praiseworthy virtues and qualities in the world of humanity, and to study sciences with the utmost diligence; so that they may become spiritual, heavenly and attracted to the fragrances of sanctity from their childhood and be reared in a religious, spiritual and heavenly training.

...from the very beginning, the children must receive divine education and must continually be reminded to remember their God. Let the love of God pervade their inmost being, commingled with their mother's milk.