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joining in with Amanda of SouleMama today ~ sharing a single photo, no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special,
extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine
by staying in the house.”
~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
One day, I hope my kids remember:
- that they were loved
- that they were wanted and chosen
- that Mommy and Daddy worked hard to offer them an incredible childhood
- that we made sacrifices so they could have the chance to blossom in their own time
- that we failed (often) to be ideal parents, but that in our failings we asked for forgiveness (often)
- that Mommy wishes she could be perfect, but knows you need to see the need for grace as well
- that they have a mission and purpose in this world
- that God loves them and will guide and direct them in life
- that He gave them each other as eternal friends
- that our family is unique and precious
- that Mommy and Daddy will always be rooting for them, praying for them, and cheering for them to dream big, be faithful in the small, and relish being who they are
“I sustain myself with the love of family.”
~ Maya Angelou
Have your kids ever met "scary mommy?"
My kids have--yesterday, in fact.
She doesn't visit too often, but every once in a while she comes by unannounced. She refuses to politely knock at the door, but instead bursts her way in, surprising us all. The kids look at her with expressions that say, "Who are you?" and "What have you done with our real mother?"
But she pays no attention. She presses on with the day--there's work to be done, after all, and work is no laughing matter. Sometimes she makes people cry--the children and often, herself.
But there is a positive side of scary mommy as well, and it is this:
She models the beauty of starting again--of asking for forgiveness, of being vulnerable, of showing that it's okay to make mistakes.
Most of all, scary mommy shows that she's human. And her kids need to see her humanity just as much as they see her courage.
“We should regret our mistakes and learn from them,
but never carry them forward into the future with us.”
~ L.M. Montgomery
Want to encourage more positivity around your home--kind words, helpful actions, listening to Mom and Dad?
Try a positivity jar. Here's how it works.
1. Get a bag of dry beans of any type--put them in a basket or container.
2. Take an empty glass jar and put it somewhere easily visible.
We keep ours on top of the living room armoire.
3. Children can "earn" beans by saying something positive, choosing kindness, listening the first time, counting by two's--really anything you decide is bean-worthy!
4. What the positivity jar isn't.
Here's the bit I love--Before when I had heard about jars/ideas like this, it was always with an idea of a reward for the kids--"When the bean jar is full, we'll get ice cream, buy a toy, etc." This seemed like bribing to me and I wanted to encourage a different motivation for making right choices.
5. Each bean is worth 10 cents.
When the bean jar is full, tally up all the beans and let your kids donate the money to a charity of their choice--their kind actions benefit others!
Last week was the first time we filled our jar, and when we counted them all up - the kids had earned $70 to donate! That's a lot of money to little people, and they were proud of their efforts. We gave the money to Love146 - helping to free children from slavery.
6. Rinse and repeat!
Now we've started over again with an empty jar, and look forward to filling it over the next few months. I gathered my ideas for bean jars from the books Leadership Education and Calm and Compassionate Children - then I tweaked the concept to best fit our unique needs at home. I hope you'll give it a try, too!
"Children learn what they live.
If a child lives with criticism... he learns to condemn.
If he lives with hostility... he learns to fight.
If he lives with ridicule... he learns to be shy.
If he lives with shame... he learns to be guilty.
If he lives with tolerance... he learns confidence.
If he lives with praise... he learns to appreciate.
If he lives with fairness... he learns about justice."
~ Dorothy Nolte
