Looking Down the Road

An excerpt from Lisa Whelchel's book "Creative Correction" :

When our children are young, it's easy to become myopic, or shortsighted, in our vision. We zoom around, putting out the fires in front of us, always keeping a fire extinguisher handy, but never taking the time to think about installing a water-sprinkler system for the future. It's important, however, that we stop every so often in the midst of firefighting to look down the road. Are we still guiding our children in the right direction?
You know what happens if you stare at your feet while walking. You begin to lose your balance and don't even realize you've veered off course until it's too late. We need to pause in our journey and take a good, long, loving look at our little ones. We need to take the time to assess their strengths and weaknesses and evaluate what those same character traits will look like down the road in a teenager and, eventually, in an adult.
Sneaking a cookie from the jar when Mom isn't looking is easily punishable with a slap on the hand. Sneaking a pair of earrings from the local mall may also be handled by a slap on the wrist - with handcuffs. Cheating at a board game may result in being sent back to "Start." Cheating on a test in high school will also send you home - possibly in expulsion. Getting angry and hitting a parent would warrant a time-out. Getting angry and hitting a teacher could warrant another form of "time-out" - behind bars.
Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that if little Susie steals a cookie, she's going to end up in jail someday. What I am saying is this: Ignoring moral issues when the implications are toddler- size can reap perilous, teenager- size repercussions. We can't avoid our children's peccadilloes forever - but when would you rather deal with these moral and character issues? When your child is five years old or 15?