Month: June 2015

Is it possible to get your kid to WANT to obey? I’m on a quest to find out.

Reading this blog has given me many insights:
http://store.notconsumed.com/2014/05/30/teaching-children-to-want-to-obey/

The author, Kim Sorgius, says, “As I continue to watch more and more kids rebelling against rules and parental authority, I notice one big missing link: the why behind obedience. I see it in adults, as well. Let’s take speeding for example. Do we stay under the speed limit out of willful submission? Or do we slam on the breaks when we see the cop car over the horizon? Do we obey the law because it’s right? Or just to stay out of trouble?”
She makes three points:
1. Obedience shows that you believe.

2. Obedience shows love.

3. Obedience is a witness to others.

What kind of person do you want to be? Do you want to be a witness for love or a witness for rebellion? “It’s important to me that they understand that every single choice they make is influential in the life of those around them.” I love how she says: “When we disobey God, parents, and/or authority, we are either influencing a Christian in a negative way or showing a non-Christian that we don’t take God very seriously. Either one isn’t what we are aiming for as God’s children.”

 

Gosh it’s hard. It’s hard for me as an adult, but how do we teach the HOW? She notes that that is the  second step. “Little children do not even have the power to obey. They will always fail. It’s through salvation in Christ that we get the power to obey. (1 peter 1:3)” Yes, we will fail, but instead of getting flustered, we have to ask for the Spirit to work in us to guide us. She has her kids pray prayers like, “God help me to obey when I get mad” or “God help me to listen to your voice when I’m heading down the wrong path.”

Such strong words of advice for bringing up Tatum, and gosh, helping me be a better follower of Christ. I mess up daily, and need to be reminded that I need His help. I can only model this for Tatum as I fail too. It’s in Him that we have success in this life.

 

 

Have you ever gone to the mailbox, grabbed your mail, and noticed it was just a bunch of junk or bills? The same stuff every day. Bills and fliers.
Well, not today! One of the fliers/notecards in the mailbox was actually a check for $1.89 from a settlement from Dreamfields Pasta. Now, I had to remember how I would even get such a check but at one point I did by some black bean pasta from this tiny company, and I guess some type of lawsuit must have occurred because now I have this buck 89 in my mailbox! Eating alternative pasta pays off.

The second envelope was from my insurance company. Great…another bill. Nope! It was a check for $14.44 due to overpayment. Love when that happens!

All this to say, I am thankful. I’m thankful for junk mail and bills because sometimes tuckered away inside all of them is a little treasure.

This is like LIFE. There is muck and mire. Problems and challenges. Junk and bills. Frustrations and foibles. In the midst of it all are treasures of flowers, opportunities, and joys.

Today, I watched Tatum attempt to ride her tricycle and I started to weep inside. I somehow have missed her growing up so fast! Has it just flown by? I need to treasure it more! Treasure the teeny moments in the day when I notice a new curl on her head

Or how she wears her hat which overtakes her head.

 

Or the roses that blossom in the front yard, that SHE notices! (because I was too focused on getting in the house or a task completed)

 

Now what I am noticing is how she is growing in her ability to just be a little student. She decided to write her name on her Tot Notebook but first she needed to color the tree
M today became the focus because she just needed to be a monkey all morning. I attempted to model how to draw the M..Up down, up down..I can do it myself!

Treasured that statement as I know she sure wants to, and I want her to be independent! But I kinda don’t… (:-( )

Onto shapes, and she insisted she would do the oval, circle and triangle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tot school is pretty forgiving because she is gaining confidence in being successful with her writing tools. Within the day of a bit of crying and whining, there is much treasure to be found. And Tatum? Sure she cries a bit too! (:-). But more importantly, it’s so easy to get flustered with the little moments of outbursts or frustrations.

It’s all about focus.

Treasuring every single minute of every single day.

 

Tot cannot be away from the little guy. He of course is asking for space.

Today, she chased him around with the leash and said, “Let’s go for a walk, Coti.” He continued to give me that look. Mom, can you do something about this?

Since that attempt failed miserably, she figured she’d read to him. He again needed his space, so…

She hopped up on the chair and he laid there just listening.

Besties. It’s a love/hate relationship.