Preparing Your Children For 2011

Today let's talk about preparing our children for the new year.  Is your house filled with joy and laughter or is your house stressful and full of yelling? 

Thinking back over 2010, how was your relationship with your children?  Did you ever get that feeling of I just need a break?  Did you send the kids off to bed thinking finally it's bed time?  Was there laughter and playing in your house?  I am (or try to be anyway) very organized and try to stick to a schedule.  I like my house to stay clean and orderly.  But if I don't let go of that, at least to a point, my house will never be 'fun.'  When my kids are grown, I want them to say that our house was a home filled with love and laughter.  A schedule is very important.  A clean, orderly home is very important.  Those things teach our children important values.  But we also need our children to laugh and we need them to see us laugh.  For many years, after dinner I would stress about cleaning up dinner, washing the clothes we just wore for the day and so on.  I never sat down and enjoyed my husband and children.  A few years ago we set a new rule.  After dinner, which everyone helps clean up, the kids take showers, then the rest of the night: no house work.  That is time to sit down and play or relax together.  To have fun. 

Thinking back over 2010, how was your children's relationship with Christ?  Did you spend time teaching your children about Christ?  Other than at meals and before bed, did you pray together?  Did you daily pray for your children?  We take our children to Sunday School and Children's Church, but as parents we are the ones who are supposed to be teaching and guiding them.  They should learn about Christ through our teaching, words and actions. 

Suggestions for today:

1. Pray, with your spouse if possible, and ask God to show you how to be the parent your child needs and deserves. 
2. Make a firm commitment to have family prayer time daily.  Maybe before school, after dinner or before bed.  But pray together daily.
3. Start doing devotions with your children.  Maybe start off with once a week or every other week.  Or before dinner read a few verses together.  If possible try a Christian book store for a family or children's devotional.
4. Pull out your 2011 calendar and mark a monthly night for family fun night.  Go for a walk or bike ride, have a Wii bowling competition, play a board game, get out the video camera and have the kids make a 'news cast.'  Use your imagination for fun things to do.  Something that our family has done since our oldest was a baby is Friday night camp out.  We go to the library and get free movies, then after dinner we all get our sleeping bags and snacks out then we camp out in the living room and watch movies all night. 
5. When the kids start to fight or stress you out, close your eyes, pray and ask God to help you stay calm.  Try not to yell at your spouse and kids.  Remember that a gentle word turns away wrath. 

Let's strive to have a happy home in 2011.  Have fun with your children.  Let them see you laugh and smile more.  Let them know how much they mean to you.  Our children are our blessings from Heaven.

Sweet Blessings~