March 4, 2011

       Don't you just love watching your kids sleep?  I love the peacefulness of the night.  I love their dreamy expressions as their little heads are filled with sweet dreams and slumber.  I especially like that on most nights all three kids can be found in one room.  The trundle bed which was supposed to be for company has become Bubba's main sleeping domain.  Just last night we turned the baby's crib into a bed because she was crawling out all the time and scaring the heck out of us.  What was most strange about her new found freedom in a big girl bed?  Once she had the freedom to get out on her own--she didn't...until she fell off at some point in the night where I sleepily snapped a picture.  I'll do a whole series of pictures on the big bed adventure.
       Today, I spoke briefly with an old friend and when talking about her kids something she said resonated with me.  "I'm not good at all that teaching ABC stuff. . ."  Did I mention she's a teacher?  A really good one, in my opinion.  However, after a brief pause I encouraged her to take a look past all the state standards and school "stuff" our kids need to know and to see herself as the most important teacher in her child's life. I have been that parent that wants my child to exceed the standards, do well in school, and be actively involved in some type of sport or activity, but as of late my heart has changed.  How can one be well rounded without exhausting what little home time we have?
       I am at a place where I really believe that my husband and I are the best teachers for our kids. I have even toyed with the idea of homeschooling simply because so much of my kid's days are spent with other people. In my opinion, the training that takes place in our homes is so much more valuable than what the private or public school is instructing.  We teach them how to be compassionate, how to serve others, to be generous and kind.We are role models for our children.  We create the tone of their day to day lives.    If we do not have a peaceful, comforting home environment, then how can I expect them to succeed outside these walls?  If I don't feel like I'm good enough in a certain area of child rearing or disciplining or education then I have to do the legwork to teach myself. 
       I am the first person my kids see in the morning and the last one they see before they fall asleep.  What I say on the phone while I'm talking to a friend matters.  The attitude I put out when getting ready for church matters.  The tone in which I talk to my husband matters.  Whether or not I sit down on the floor to build legos matters.  Interacting with them while in the car matters.  Monitoring what they watch and who they listen to matters. I matter immensely in the life of my child--the child God entrusted to me for a very short while.As mothers we matter so much that we can't cut ourselves short.  We have to dig through the trenches and tap into our strengths and even the things we aren't so good at because God chose you.  He chose you to raise your child or children and with Him all things are possible.  I believe in you, but do you believe in you?