Parenting and Religion

I have been at my parents for a couple of days with my four youngest kids. We are going home today, and we had a very good time.
Sunday night we went to a wedding. The groom was my cousin, and it seems to me that he should still be a child; but like we all do, he grew up. I remember babysitting him, and enjoying rocking him to sleep. He was one of the first babies I had the pleasure of rocking to sleep, and that made me look forward even more to having my own babies- even though I was only about 14.
Yesterday we went up to a park near my parents house. They had a pool, a wooded picnic area, an arcade and a playground. We ate lunch before we went, so we only brought some snacks, some cold soda and water along.
My brother and I went swimming with the kids, while my daughter, mom, dad, other brother and his family played at the playground and read books in the shade of the trees.
Of course my kids were begging me to take them in the arcade, so when everyone was ready to leave, my brother Jim and I took them in and played some games.
We played a basketball game, and won tickets for prizes.
Rachel and I played air-hockey, and she beat me easy.
We ended up leaving with rubber snakes, plastic spiders, and chinese finger cuffs (did you ever get stuck in one of those???- not fun!)
So now we are getting ready for our three hour trip home, and looking forward to coming back in a couple of weeks.
Next month we will have a family reunion at the same park, so my kids are already planning what they want to do while we are there.
Spending time with family is wonderful, even if you only sit around and enjoy the outdoors together.
Summer is a wonderful time to do fun things together as a family. It is easier to find things to do outside in the summer, and adventures can be found around every corner.
For some ideas on what to do with your family this summer, check out my article “Family Fun On a Budget”.

http://kidsactivities.suite101.com/article.cfm/summer_fun_on_a_budget

Have a wonderful, fun summer.

I had a great talk with my 16 year old son, Shawn yesterday on our way to the camp he is working at.
Shawn and I were talking about choices and consequences. Sometimes I am amazed by the childishness of my teens, but this time I was amazed by the wisdom.
Shawn has told me many times that he has chosen not to date until he is old enough to be seriously thinking about marriage. So far he is the only one of my oldest three who have gone this route, and it isn’t easy. Shawn has many girls who are friends, and a lot have asked him to go out with them, but he always tells them no.
I told him that is one way to avoid the heartache that can come from dating and breaking up- the way the world dates. He told me that there is still heart ache this way.
After I thought about it, I think I got what he was saying.
The heart ache that comes this way can make it hard to stick to what you believe is right- waiting on God and His timing.
The peer pressure to date (by this I mean the way the world dates- one relationship after another) is very great. Dating now is so different than it was when I was younger.
According to some teens I know, it sometimes involves sharing dates- going out with one, but being just as intimate and close to the friends of the one you are dating.
This makes me think of how important it is to remind our kids of God’s instructions for them as young people.
2 Timothy 2:22
“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Teaching them the principles in the world can be a touchy subject. We don’t want to preach at them, but we do want to and need to talk to them. I have many friends who say their teens won’t talk to them. I have found with my own teens that talking has to be their idea, in a way.
By it being their idea, I mean that parents need to be able to understand the openings that are provided to talk.
Car trips are great, because they can’t walk away and are more likely to feel comfortable if it is just the two of you talking with no chance of interuptions.
Another time I have found that all of my older kids have been open, is late at night…so late that I would almost always be sleeping. Both my husband and I have had our share of late night talks with our teens, and it always worked out that they were wanting to talk.
Another way to tell if they want to talk, is if they say things like “Today really sucked!”,
or “Wow, I had a great day!”
I have found openings like this are the norm. One key I have found in getting them to talk, is to listen.
Sounds so simple, but is not so easy. As a mom I want to tell them how to fix things, or let them know what they did was wrong.
I have had practice with 2 adult children, who told me things that shocked me, but I was able to retain my cool and act like it was all ok.
That is why they are all able to talk to me- I am not easily shocked by them- at least outwardly.
I also decided that when they choose to confide in me, I will not preach at them about the right way, or chastise them for their mistakes. I will, however, pray with them if they want, and encourage them that all of us go through similar things. I htink this has been key for us keeping communication lines open. Dan has a similar way of letting them talk.
One thing we won’t do though, is keep things from eachother, and our kids know that. If one of them confides in me and says “Please don’t tell dad”‘ I tell them they will have a day or two to tell him themselves, but after that I will tell him. We do not keep secrets from eachother, and often we discuss our talks with the kids and come up with a prayer strategy together.
Communication with teens is possible, and if you pray you will have wisdom in talking to your teens.

teens, talking to teens, parenting teens, communitcating with teens

Yesterday I requested prayer for Deborah, a young girl on a missions trip to Costa Rica.
She had been caught in an undercurrent while swimming, and we didn’t know how she was.
I just found out that Deborah died.
I don’t know this girl, I only know that she loved the Lord and loved people enough to want to tell them about her savior.
Her life was not in vain. She was on a trip to fulfill her wish to share the Gospel.
Deborah’s family and friends need our prayerful support now.
I don’t even know her last name, but I know how to pray.
I also know that she is in the presence of her loving Lord, receiving her reward for obeying His commision to go and tell…
and giving her life in the process.
Please Pray.

Scripture of the day:
Ephesians 6:18 (Amplified)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

I want to encourage all of us to pray today.
There are many people who need our prayers.
One such person is my daughter’s online friend, Deborah. She is a teenage girl on a mission trip to Costa Rica. Yesterday she got caught in an undertow and was sucked under water. She was pulled out, but we don’t know if she is ok. Please pray for a miracle for her.

The scripture I chose says to pray for all the saints. Who are the saints? They are our fellow believers throughout the world. There is much persecution of believers in the world. How are we to pray for these people we don’t know?
I believe we are to teach our children about religious persecution, and teach them to pray for others who love our Lord, but how do we do this?
Voice of The Martyrs, http://www.persecution.com/ , has a lot to offer as far as educational things and how to pray for our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
There is also a book called “You Can Change The World, Learnign to Pray For People Around The World”, by Jill Johnstone. This book is made especially to help kids know what it is like to be a Christian Child in other parts of the world.
Please pray today, and teach your kids to pray for others.
Also, don’t forget to tell them others are praying for them.

praying with children, teaching children to pray, prayer

We are in transition right now. We went from 10 people to 8 people living in our house. I know that still seems like a lot of people to most families, but when you are used to 10, it seems like a lot are missing when there are only 8.
I think it has been hardest on one of the younger boys. Troy, 7, has a hard time with change.
He was concerned about being able to see Katie and Andy every day. So far he has seen them for at least a few minutes each day, but craves their attention when they are here.
I have been trying to help the boys be emotionally prepared for their move, for about 2 months now, and I think that helped quite a bit.
We have had a lot of talks with the kids about growing up and leaving home, so they know it is a normal part of life and that it is a good thing.
I also think that helped me deal with it emotionally, because it has been easier for me than I anticipated.
Dan and I have always enjoyed having our kids around. We have never bought into the “I can’t wait until these kids grow up!” thing.
We have always wanted our time with them to last a LONG time. But God has perfect timing for all things, and we have to trust Him with our kids- especially when they leave home.
It does seem strange going to their new apartment to visit. I guess I’m not used to them really being grown ups yet. They have been married for 10 months, but when they moved out it finally dawned on me that they are REALLY grown up, and they now have a life apart from ours.
I thank God that they are happy and able to make their own way, in His way and His time.
We will continue to miss them, but I am sure it will get easier as we get used to the change.
I am enjoying having my own office- their former bedroom.
Now to finish moving all my scrapbooking suipplies, writing books, and other fun stuff.
Yes, I will get used to this, and possibly faster than I thought.

Today we celebrate the fourth of July,
eat some hotdogs and apple pie.
Roast some corn, and marshmallows too,
Freedom has come and stayed here for you.

Have a picnic, see a parade,
drink some soda or lemonade.
Go watch the fireworks explode in the sky,
But don’t forget those who may have to die.

Freedom isn’t free you know.
It takes men and women who choose to go,
and fight for our freedom, fight for the rights,
You and I enjoy every day and night.

Freedom is wonderful, but comes with a price.
And sometimes it comes with great loss of life.
Freedom isn’t free you know
Thank those you know who have chosen to go.

Freedom isn’t free.

Tomorrow is our Independence Day. What does that mean to you?
To me it means….
…I am free to worship my Lord without Government interference,
…I can raise my kids to know and love the Lord without being threatened with them being taken from me.
…I can choose to have as many children as I am blessed with- no one tells me I can’t,
…My children can be taught at home, and taught in a way that is honoring to God,
…I can read my Bible out in the open, and no one can tell me not to.
…I can preach the Gospel of Christ and speak of Him openly.
…I can cast my vote for a leader who has faith in Jesus

All these things are wonderful things- and all of them have been threatened.
We need to be aware of the things going on around us, and take action against those who want to take our liberties away.
Being Christian parents, means watching out for the rights of our kids.
This means being aware of who stands for what, and making choices when we vote, based on our values.
Please take the next year to carefully investigate and consider who you will vote for in the upcoming election. Look into their value system, their voting records, and their experiences while in the offices they have already held.
This stuff says more than their words today say, and it means more too.
Keep our freedoms- don’t willingly give them up.

Today is July 1st, and the new school year begins today. It runs from July 1-June 30.
I am still not sure of everything we will be doing for school this year, and haven’t heard from my teens what they want to study.
When they get older I let them decide what they are interested in, and pursue that particular thing along with the required subjects. http://www.momisteaching.com , a blog written by Summer Minor, deals with homeschooling issues and encouragement. If you are homeschooling or are interested in homeschooling, it would be great to read. Summer offers many links and ideas.
My oldest homeschooled son, Shawn, is teaching himself web design, html, and photo shop.
He has set up 2 websites so far, and is the one I turn to for help with anything computer related. Shawn will be graduating next year.
My next oldest, Rachel, is in 8th grade this year. She is trying to decide what she would like to learn about. So far she wants to learn to cook- which will help me because I will assign her to make dinner once a week if that is part of her lessons….yippee!!!
The elementary boys, all 3 of them, will be doing American History with an emphasis on Patriotic Songs and their origins.
Proverbs 22:6 (Amplified)
“Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
This tells me that if we train them in what their talents and gifts are, then they will be able to use those things all of their lives.
That is why I let my children help decide what they will learn about.
Now I need to go clean off my shelves and set them up in my office. Maybe that will inspire me for planning the rest of the school year.