July 20, 2009 2:27 PM
Building our national security one child, one day at a time
Martha forwarded this to me - you can find out more about ScreamFree Parenting and sign up for the Tip of the Day here.
This resonates with me - in fact, I wrote about it in The Mommy Manual:[ July 20, 2009 ScreamFree Daily Parenting Tip. ]
Quote of the Day: " If our
American way of life fails the child, it fails us all. "--
Pearl S. Buck, American-Chinese author (1892-1973)
Children are the future. It's a sentiment that we've all heard so many times that we don't even really hear it anymore.
But take just a moment to think about it in a different way.
YOUR children are the future. It's easy to shake our heads
like generations before us and lament the state of "these kids
today", but that doesn't do anyone any good.
Rearing the nation's children isn't your job - well, if you
are a teacher, then maybe it is - but raising your children
is. Start each day thinking about what you'd like your child's
character to be like in 20 or 30 years. Then act accordingly.
Do you want them to be kind? Show kindness to them and to
others. Do you want them to be resourceful? Give them a chance
- turn off the tv and send them outside. Do you want them to
be self-reliant? Don't rescue them in difficult circumstances
that you know they can handle. This is not child's play,
folks. This is serious. What you do today with your own
children WILL impact the future of this nation. Be intentional
and be calm. We'll all be better off in the long run.
As a mom who's still raising little ones, I've been blessed to see in my grown up kids that every thought Tripp and I gave to the process, every discussion we had, every attempt we made to improve our parenting skills, and every sacrifice eventually paid off with great rewards. To tell you the truth, as an older mother who's often wiped out well before the end of the day, I find my older children are incentives that keep me going when I might otherwise be too pooped to pop. Not to mention all the help they provide when they're home.
Tripp and I never took a casual approach to parenting. Because both of us had dads who abandoned their families, working mothers with alcohol problems and a laissez-faire approach to morality - once we decided we wanted to raise a wholesome, healthy family, we had to put a lot of thought into how to go about it.
Some mommies reading this may have had good role models. You're that much ahead. But some may be starting from scratch like we did. You need to know that if you didn't have a happy childhood, you can have the next best thing - creating one for your own kids. And I can promise you, there's a lot of healing in the process.
No matter what your background, you can build a healthy, happy, wholesome family. But it doesn't happen by accident. You just have to spend some time planning how to go about it.
I call this intentional parenting. By that I mean not just fa-la-la-ing along from day to day assuming that attending church, school and Little League will be enough to produce the kind of men and women our culture needs - children we will be proud of and enjoy spending time with when they're grown. I mean thinking long-term, taking our responsibility seriously (though it's important to have fun - which we'll spend time on in part three), and correcting our course if we're not headed in the right direction.
Sometimes just grabbing hold of a very small idea can mean big changes for your family and your children's future. My prayer, of course, is that The Mommy Manual will be chock full of such ideas, and that you will feel equipped and empowered to keep on keeping on with the important calling God has given you.
Remember, motherhood is more than a job. It's a calling. And though it's rarely given the status or honor it deserves in our society, I'm confident that to God it is one of the two most important callings around. The other being fatherhood.
If God has called you to motherhood, He knows you won't start out anywhere near perfect. Remember He doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. So your motherhood journey is bound to be filled with growth and change - not just on your kids' part, but on yours. As you come across new bits and pieces of information that inspire you to do things differently, be careful not to beat up on yourself for any past mistakes, but simply acknowledge them, giving thanks for the opportunity to change.
Believe me, I've had those moments of realizing I've fallen short as a mother, and I know more than most that by His grace all things are made new. Because I grew up without God and without much moral guidance, I made many mistakes and hurt many people before I found the truth and the truth set me free. Now look what God has done with me!
So wherever you are as a mother, rest assured God has big plans for your life."For I know the plans I have for you" says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
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