A friend of mine yesterday talked about how over the years she’s allowed more and forbidden less. The idea is that while you do have to say no, it’s especially important to make sure we’re saying yes when we are able. That makes sense, and I’ve seen it before. While we were growing up, my [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized
I’ve been thinking about Barbara’s (and others’s) comments here and Jay’s comments here, and then yesterday I found something that woke me up thinking about the possibilities. This is not an excursis; be patient. At a local thrift store I picked up a copy of Meet the Austins, by Madeleine L’Engle. Now, I collect Newbery [...]
Filed under: Child Development, Communication and Meaning
Like many parents, I find myself worrying from time to time. As I was reading Proverbs this week, I was reminded about one of the amazing results of wisdom: freedom from worry. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and [...]
Filed under: Wisdom
We’ve been talking about Philippians 4:13 off and on at our house. Today I noticed that in addition to helping them to remember that God will help them do right, this verse also causes me to think about my actions in asking them to obey. Will God help them do anything their parents ask them [...]
Filed under: Introspection, Obedience
Lately, I’ve noticed my middle child struggling with obedience. Her tendency is to respond to a command by bursting into tears and saying I don’t want to… I need help… I can’t… and so on. I’ve been trying to teach her how to respond to her emotions. One way is to teach her how to [...]
Filed under: Obedience
I just noticed that my post that I thought I had published somehow got saved instead to my draft folder. I have rectified the problem. I also noticed earlier that the server was down for an hour or so. Everything should be back to normal now. On Wednesday nights, David usually stays in our prayer [...]
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A Conversation: Me: Did you know that there’s something else God says makes us happy? Child: Mom, I don’t really want you to read to me. Me: [okay, that's fine. I'll just tell another child.] Did you know that there’s something else God says makes us happy? God says finding wisdom makes us happy. (“Happy [...]
Filed under: Discipleship, Introspection, Scripture Memory
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. When I was at college, I used to eat my dessert first. Since I knew I was going to eat my dinner or [...]
Filed under: Wisdom
Sometimes I think dealing with crying is one of the biggest challenges for a mom of an infant. It takes a good deal of wisdom to know how to respond. What is good advice for a 15 month old isn’t always good advice for a 2 week old. Sometimes it’s appropriate to let a baby [...]
Filed under: Communication and Meaning, Emotions, Uncategorized
I don’t have all the answers. That’s why I don’t typically write how-to post titles (and when I do they’re often tongue in cheek). But it’s easy to forget about what I’m doing with Laurel, especially as my middle child grows in her ability to understand and use language (although I still have mindbogglingly frustrating [...]
Filed under: Communication and Meaning
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