#9 - Spend time WITH them. I have to take stock often because there is so
much to do and I get caught in the busyness. Inevitably, I notice trends of
unhappy children. And, I realize that I haven't sat down and played with them
lately. I vividly remember the days with only a 6 month old. And, there was a
marked difference in her behavior when I had played on the floor with her and
when I just worked on housework with her in the room. Take time to play and
interact. Don't use this as an excuse for their disobedience. Use it a
motivation to keep things in balance - keeping a tidy house AND spending real
time with your children. I've found that the immediate benefit is that I enjoy
motherhood so much more.
So there are my favorite pointers or rules-of-thumb. These are things that
the Lord convicts me of, works in me, has taught or is teaching me. Please
pray, seek the Lord and use what you can. Maybe you and yours will be blessed.
If I've learned anything, it is that I really know very little. Ask me about
parenting in 25 years and I wonder what I'll say. Probably something like pray,
pray, PRAY as you parent them.
