As a young mom, I want so much to establish a home where my children’s hearts can thrive.
I want a home where everyone works and plays together for the good of the others.
I want a home where everyone can mess up and still know they are loved.
I want a home where everyone has a place and if that place is empty, our home is incomplete.
As I ponder these ideals, I realize my goal is to influence my children in a positive way and nourish them into wise, motivated adults.
As our oldest child grew, I quickly learned that she likes to be included in whatever I’m doing. So, I started getting creative in the ways I let her “help” me.
When she was 6 months old, instead of putting her in front of toys while I did the dishes, I sat her in the sink beside me and let her chew on a rubber spatula. She was thrilled to be up where mom was.
As time went on she graduated to standing on a chair playing in the rinse water.
Did she splash? Yes.
Did she get soaked? Yes.
Did I get soaked? Yes.
Was it helpful? No.
But she felt important. She felt included. She had a purpose. And she experienced joy in that.
In this manner, “training them in the way they should go” (Pr.22:6) in the small stuff, I started teaching my children the in’s and out’s of our home.
If you peeked into our home today, you would find a two year old peeling hard boiled eggs, a six year old kneading bread, and an eight year old cooking spaghetti. You would find all three of them racing around the house with dust cloths seeing who can find the most dirt so they can earn an extra 25 cents.
In case you’re wondering what we do for fun…. You would also find a mom who makes cardboard slides on full flights of stairs and joins her children in the fun!
Follow me over to Arabah Joy’s blog where I share a few principles on how to establish a home where hearts can thrive.
Such important things for us to remember. I had a little one “helping” pat out pizza crust a few minutes ago. I agree with letting them push the boundaries on what might be “age appropriate.” (Maybe I should try the flat cardboard sliding . . . somehow my kids always try it inside boxes and end up toppling to the tile at the bottom in an injured heap, so I tend to squelch that fun – somehow they haven’t learned from experience to stop trying!)
I love the message of your article and your cardboard box fun reminds me of the mattress surfing we did when my children were younger.
Comments are closed.