Superbowl
If you know anything about me, I am a professed "fair weather fan" when it comes to team sports. I can take them or leave them any day of the week. Now in all fairness, Handyman and I both attended Clemson, so if we're going to pull for a college team, it will likely be Clemson. Unfortunately in the last several years they haven't given us much to cheer for, until this past year which seemed miraculous for them!
As far as professional sports though, we don't often "tune-in" to many games, at least not intentionally but this year Handyman said that he wanted to watch the Superbowl. So since Big D is getting more interested in sports (playing in our yard), we thought this would be a great time to teach him the basics about football. So we made a family night of the event. I threw together several snack-type foods for supper including bagel pizza bites, chips with dip and fruit kabobs. We laid out a blanket in the middle of the living room floor to picnic on while watching the game, which Big D was referring to as the Super-Goal. :-) HaHa!
So Handyman decided that we would "pull" for the Giants. I obliged since I had no preference whatsoever. So we pointed out the team to Big D and explained that we wanted the team in the white shirt to score points. I showed him on the TV where the score would be shown and then explained that the team had 4 chances to make it past the "yellow line". (I'm so thankful for technology and how they draw that yellow line on the ground where the first down line is. Whew, was that so helpful!) So Big D got into it. Oh he yelled like he had been doing this for years. "Go! Go! Run!" he would scream at the TV. And then inevitably he would scream, "No!! Mommy, a blue guy knocked down my white guy." I told him it was ok that he would see a lot of that tonight, but that we would want to see more of the white guys knocking down blue guys later.
Big D's bedtime is at 8pm so his game time got cut short, but it was a fun night as a family that we thought was somewhat "educational" for him learning football. The next morning, as soon as Big D crawled out of bed he wrapped his arms around my neck and says, "I had lots of fun last night!" I said, "Me too" (thinking he really enjoyed the football game). He says, "I like having a picnic in the living room and eating pineapple and grapes on a stick!" :-) Well, obviously we know where his priorities are. :-) I guess we taught him the basics of football, but he was more impressed with the accommodations that went along with it.
Scripture Verse
I'm sure that many parents have the issue with their children always trying to haggle with them. For instance, I'll tell Big D that he can play his computer game for 5 more minutes before he has to get his shoes on to go to school. And it seems that often time his response is, "How about 7 minutes?" Well, "No. I said, 5." Or the "I'm done with supper" line when there's quite a bit of food left on his plate and I say, "You need to eat 5 more bites" And the response I get is "How about 3." Or when I say, "You need to wash your hair tonight" And the response is, "I just washed it yesterday." (Because he doesn't care the he's been running outside and sweating like it's summer time.)
I've been trying to figure out a good way to remind him that he is suppose to do what we as his parent say without the immediate response to haggle. Many times I've answered, "I'm your Mommy and you need to do what I say." (James Dobson on Focus on the Family says that when a child is young and doesn't have the discernment of an adult, you don't have to give reasons as to "why" more than that you are the parent that they they should do what you say. They lack the foresight and reasoning that we gain as we grow.) I do love some Focus on the Family and I do agree with this idea, but it just didn't seem to be fostering any change to do what I say without questioning it.
I decided that since Big D is 4 and can memorize songs and some of the lines in some of his favorite books that he is at an age where he can begin memorizing scripture verses. We have taught him that the Bible is God's book and it teaches us the things we should do and the way we should act, so that we "make God happy". Each night we read to him from his little Bible. In his Bible though, entire books of the Bible are abbreviated down to just a couple of pages with pictures. So I had decided to begin with simple verses that we can point out and read to him from our Bibles that say exactly how God wants us to act. So the other morning while I was folding clothes I asked Big D to sit down and repeat after me, "Philippians 2:14 - Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14" After about 15 minutes, he had it down pat. "Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing"
So over the last few days any time that I say something and the haggling begins, all I say is, "Philippians 2:14". And Big D just freezes and it's like a reset button, then he pipes up, "Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14" He has been so proud of himself that he has shared it with quite a few friends and family members. Even when waiting in line at school yesterday he told me that he wanted to tell his teacher Philippians 2:14. (We know she is a Christian and would appreciate it.) So when Big D was getting out of the car, I told her that he wanted to tell her the Bible verse that he memorized. Later that afternoon when I picked him up, she said, "I just needed to her that Philippians 2:14. I wish I had him telling me that first thing this morning and all day long!"
Staying At Home
I had a great conversation the other day with my best friend. Some of the things she said spurred me on to "do better" and "be better" than what I have been. (As her words and our conversations often do which is probably why she is my dearest friend.) We were discussing the "state of our homes". Now I have 2 little guys, 4 and 6 months and she has 3 little girls; 4, 3 and 5 months. Needless to say, our conversation was about the state of our homes being less than what we would like for them to be. Also, that she had read a blog (I'll try to find it and share,) about a woman who is striving to live a more content life, where less is more. She said that she had recently stopped attending one of her weekly meetings so that she could spend more time at home because this is her "job" and she didn't feel like she was doing well at it and wanted to make the effort to focus more time on staying at home to take care of their home and the girls. Whew! Was that ever convicting coming from one of the most energetic people I know that seems to be "working" daily to raise up their children with Godly instruction and keep their home "in good shape".
Although stay-at-home mom's may not "work" outside of the home, we can view our tasks at home as a job. Col 3:23 tells us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord," So I ask myself, "Have my interactions with my children today been as if I was interacting with the Lord?" or "Has my work around my house today been done as if I were doing it for the Lord?" Does this mean that I will be perfect as a parent? No! Of course not, but does it mean that my words to my children will be seasoned with grace and love? I hope so, if I'm speaking to them as if I were speaking to the Lord.
Does this mean that my house will be immaculate? Probably not, but at least the work that will be done, will be done with diligence.
From Proverbs 31:31 (A Wife of Noble Character), "Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."
I encourage you (and myself) to persevere in these things and be blessed!
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