Teens

Did you teach them?

May 23, 2013 By Elisa

I suppose it is normal to have a sobering sense of time when you look up from your desk, caught off guard by the young woman walking through the door, only to realize it is your own daughter.

When did she grow up?

I feel like I just tucked the 4T dresses away for her little sister. Wasn’t it only yesterday when she insisted on wearing sports shorts and a t-shirt, all-the-time? Now she’s dressed like she’s ready to step into the world of business movers and shakers. That’s what dress code looks like on a nearly fully matured teenager’s body.

In only a blink, I am sure she’ll be walking back out that door and into the world God is waiting for her to explore. And I am left to wonder.

Did I teach her the most important lessons of all?

Did I model authentic faith? Did I share with her the awesomeness of God and proclaim His glory in my worship, praise, and prayers? Did I show her what to do with unbelief, letting her know it is okay to cry out to God in doubt but walk faithfully anyways? Have I given her a taste of my whole faith, even the messy parts, because isn’t life messy? Won’t she be a doubting Thomas at times, too? But it is my prayer for her to echo Mary’s words more often, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” (Luke 1:46-47).

In the very blink frozen by my thoughts, I turn my heart to the Lord and stare down Proverbs 3:5-6. It was the very first verse my daughter had to memorize when she entered kindergarten and the very first verse I really sunk my knees deep into prayer over the life of my children.

Oh Lord, may they trust in you with all their heart, and lean not on their own understanding. In all their ways may they submit to you, O God, and may You make their paths straight.

It’s been a prayer for my littles, spoken so many times in gasps of, “Oh Lord. Help them to submit. Dear God, make them stay the straight way.” But in this moment of window gazing and wonderment of time, the Lord whispered to me a new way to use this passage of Truth. He asked me…

Did you teach them to trust me?
Did you teach them how to give their heart to me?
Did you teach them to not lean on their own understanding?
Did you teach them to live set apart?
Did you teach them to pay attention to me?
Did you teach them to follow my ways?
Did you teach them how to live on the straight path?

Did I teach them?

It’s now my accountability checklist for the remainder of my motherhood journey. Not so that I’d feel bound up in condemnation, but so that I’d really pour into the years left with her and her siblings. It’s a tool to help me evaluate my time, offering the Holy Spirit a good old fashion moment of silence as I step away from the screens to face my Maker.

Oh sure, it makes me squirm on days when the answer is “No, Lord. I didn’t.” But because of His grace and the mercies bestowed each morning, I can embrace living with an momma heart, eternally bent. It’s the best thing I can do for my children — to give them Jesus in a faith that’s still being learned — while they are still young enough to teach.

:: click here to download a copy of Did You Teach Them to encourage you
and a printable version of Proverbs 3:5-6 ::

Blessings,

Elisa, MoreToBe.com

10 Comments | Filed Under: Boys, Girls, Parenting, Special Needs, Teens, Toddlers, Uncategorized Tagged With: Elisa Pulliam, motherhood, Proverbs 3:5-6, Teaching

15 Things Moms Wish They Knew Before Having Children

May 19, 2013 By Ashley Schnarr

Photo Credit

Are you a mom to be or young woman who would like to have children one day?

I asked a group of ladies what things they wished they knew or had taken the time to learn before having children. They gave a lot of good responses and I found the information helpful as I, a young single woman, prepare for my future family.

I have paraphrased some of the responses below:

1.) I wish I knew that life would change drastically, constant interruptions and down-right difficult time but it’s worth every minute of it.

2.) I wish I had been a better steward of my finances and thought more carefully about student loans so I didn’t have to worry so much about money issues when children came along.

3.) I wish I had guarded my heart and body better and asked myself, “How will this choice affect me 20 years down the road? How will it affect my future children?”

4.) I wish I had learned to cook and prepare healthy food for my family before I was married with children so they didn’t have to be the ginny pigs.

5.) I wish I knew that having children is way more about sanctification and sacrifice than luxury.

6.) I wish I had learned to trust and rely on God more. Some days are challenging and the future is uncertain.

7.) I wish I had learned to make a routine for my devotions. It’s so much harder to find time or be awake and alert enough when you have little ones.

8.) I wish I had been more diligent about saving money.

9.) I wish I had learned to be a better time manager.

10.) I wish I understood that life will get crazy and you can’t always get everything done.

11.) I wish I knew that “me” time would be limited and that I had realized earlier that Jesus bought us with his blood so all of our time should really be HIS time.

12.) I wish I had spent more time around other children so I knew better what to expect and how to raise with my own.

13.) I wish I had thought about what I believe about raising children and then made sure my husband and I were on the same page.

14.) I wish I had learned how to be a godly wife for my husband because that also effects your children and parenting.

15.) I wish I had known how important it was to have a support group you could rely on for friendship and practical encouragement.

Just one little note: We can never be completely prepared for the joy of marriage or children and God can use even the most unprepared women but it is still wise to take time to learn and grow so we can be good examples of motherhood for His glory!

Blessings,

Ashley
www.stayathomedaughter.com

4 Comments | Filed Under: Babies, Boys, Child Safety, Girls, Parenting, Special Needs, Teens, Toddlers Tagged With: 15 Things Moms Wish They Knew Before Having Children

Summer Planning Questions

May 17, 2013 By Kara Chupp

I have been wearing flip-flops all week.
And it’s 82 degrees outside as I write this, which is amazing for Oregon in early May.
But I’m getting excited about summer!

Usually around this time of year, my husband and I sit down, look at the calendar and do some Lord-willing-planning for the summer ahead of us.
Keeping in mind that…

“The point is fruitfulness,
not efficiency.

You should want to be fruitful
like a tree,
not efficient like a machine.” ~D. Wilson

And remembering that my favorite summer was probably–
The summer we didn’t do anything.

But just in case you’re a-bit-of-a-planner, like I am,
or even if you just want to be a bit more intentional about this next summer…
I wanted to share our summer planning questions with you.

And in the comments below, I’d love to hear some of your fun summer ideas!

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring… Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ~James 4:13-15

Summer Planning Questions to Consider:

What places would we like to visit locally this summer?

What specific educational goals do we have for each child?

What 3 books (or more) would I like to read this summer?

How am I going to spend time in God’s Word?

What am I hoping to study in the Bible?

Are there any friendships we’d especially like to invest in this summer?

What household tasks do I need to keep up on?

Are we planning to take any extended trips or vacations?

What reoccurring weekly activities would we like to include?

Are there any specific skills we’d like our children to learn over the summer?

How am I going to invest in my marriage this summer?

What are some easy (or new) meals that I’d like to make this summer?

What specific character traits or heart issues do we need to work on with our children or as a family?

Are there any specific skills I’d like to work on over the summer?

How can I make sure we have down time?

Are there any fun movies we’d like to watch together?

How/where will we celebrate any birthdays, holidays or special occasions?

What will hospitality look like for us this summer?

Is anyone coming to stay?

Who do we want to invite over?

Does my husband have anything that is important to him to include?

Do we have any house project goals?

What will our kiddos’ summer chores include (now that they’ll have a bit more free time)?

What are some “fill-in” activities that we’d like to do more often (Legos, reading, painting, nature walks)?

Are there any schedules I need to collect to keep with my summer calendars (libraries, farmer’s markets, community theaters)?

How are we going to serve in our community, church, and/or neighborhood?

Do we have any other goals for the summer that I haven’t included elsewhere?

We’re getting close to June !!!
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer…

And please share your summer plans or ideas below!

Love,

Kara @The Chuppies

6 Comments | Filed Under: Babies, Boys, Family Management, Following God, Fun For Kids, Girls, Home Organization, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Hospitality, Marriage/Relationships, Parenting, Teens, Toddlers, Uncategorized Tagged With: character training, children, Defying the Culture, God's Word, healthy meal planning, holidays, intentional, meal planning, motherhood, parenting, Summer

Are you a better summer mom?

May 16, 2013 By Nicole O'Dell

Are you a better mom in the winter or the spring? The fall or the summer? I feel like a better mom in the summer. Here’s why:

In the winter, I tend to hide out. I love the cold. I love the snow. But I find it excruciating to search for 47 gloves, socks, scarves, and hats to pile my littles outside when someone will invariably have to go to the bathroom almost immediately. It’s so much easier to stay in and put on a movie…and 10 pounds.

Another reason why I feel like a better mom in the summer is that, while the spring is lovely, rain brings me back to point number one. There’s nothing worse than having to pick up the kids from preschool when it’s pouring rain. Not only do I have to walk a mile to the door to grab them (okay, not a mile, but it feels like it when the rain is beating down) and then back to the car, but then I get to load them into their seats while my backside gets drenched. And this always happens about an hour after I washed my hair and gave it a nice blow out.

Fall is my second favorite, but the hard part about fall is that school has started and we’re easing into the blend of multiple over-full schedules again.

Summer. There’s something freeing about those months. Reduced schedules. No major early-morning requirements. Kids can go from pajamas to bathing suits and back to jammies again with no mommy guilt. In fact, I feel quite proud when they have spent the entire day outside playing, when the TV has stayed cold all day long, and when everyone has sun-kissed cheeks and noses.

But along with the settling of the routine, and the lightning of the load, there can tend to come a misplacement of other priorities. For us, morning devotions are a big priority. This is something I do with my kids, most commonly led by the teenagers, on a daily basis. It will take strict intentionality to make sure the daily devotions continue through the summer months when everyone is waking at different hours and heading in different directions.

Another concern is mealtimes. Do we relax the guidelines and the schedule so much that we let go of things like family dinners or family breakfasts? It takes intentional commitment to those family times to make sure they happen even in the relaxed schedules of the summer.

The third thing is communication. Without the extra time in the car going from place to place and with the lightning are some of the stringent requirements like meals and sporting events and things like that, when do we make up for the lost time for communication? Maybe a month before we’d have spent 40 minutes in a car chatting with the kids on the way to this or that, but now that time is gone.

It all comes back to that intentionality. Plan ahead for the coming summer months. Be intentional about Bible study, meal times, and communication. I guarantee you’ll feel like an even Better Summer Mom!

What are some of the tips you have for really making it work in the summer?

Blessings,

Nicole O’Dell

Photo by Ian Kahn, courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net