Child Rearing

My thoughts today are on my two little ones. Last night at church, we were paged to come get Vivianna when usually we are paged to come get Isaac! I could hear Vivi screaming crying when I entered the nursery area so I ran to her room. She was huffing and rubbing her tear stained eyes. The volunteer said that she was having a rough time and maybe she was tired. Well, I took her into the sanctuary to sit in the back with Billy and she was totally fine! She laughed and played for that last 20 minutes or so of the service, never crying once. I told Billy it must be stranger anxiety starting early because she cried last time we left her at nursery too. To some extent I feel good that she is so attached. I can see that my efforts every day to care for her and love her are paying off in her desire to be with Mommy. Billy went back on stage to play guitar at the end of the service and I was able to sit in the dark cool sanctuary listening to the Lord's music, and holding my littlest one in my arms and it struck me the awesome responsibility I have to raise these children. It was a bit overwhelming as I do not feel adequate. I get distracted by day to day life and I lose my temper. And sometimes I wonder if I am making a difference in shaping them for eternity. But God is gracious to me to give me moments like last night. And little tid bits of hope that the kids are "getting" what we teach them and model to them. At dinner before church Isaac broke out singing "Come and see what the Lord has done, He has done amazing things on the earth!" This is one of the songs on a scripture memory cd we listen to in the car, that Isaac and I love to sing at the top of our lungs (poor Vivi). And almost daily he loves to sing "God made me, God made me...in my Bible book it says that God made me." I think they are getting it.

My hope for my children is that they will grow up happy and healthy. But mainly that they will grow to know and feel the love of God because of the deep love and devotion we as their parents have shown them. And I want my children above all else to be kind, giving, and obedient to authority. These characteristics will help them to succeed in all their relationships in life. The opposite of this is often what we see in children and young adults...mean, selfish, and insubordinate, setting them up for a very difficult future. I worry sometimes with Isaac's wildness that this will be a very big challenge. But I also think of the positives that come with having a child who marches to the beat of their own drum. He has the potential to be a leader- a maker of change in his world and those around him. The following quote is one that Billy and I hold to closely in our child rearing practices as we strive to raise the next generation.

"Two distinct messages must be conveyed to every child during his first 48 months of life: (1)I love you more than you can possibly understand and (2) Because I love you I must teach you to obey me." -Dr. James Dobson