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On Parenting
Mom's The Word
Think for a moment on the word, family . What kind of thoughts does that word bring to mind for you? Family means different things to different people. You may have never known the love of family. You many have been abandoned by those that were supposed to support you. On the other hand, abandonment may seem like a not-so-bad thing compared to the physical or sexual abuse you may have had to endure. Some families are there physically, but there's no emotional support, no encouragement, no solid advice when it's needed. Any one of these types of families produce insecure adults who have to work hard to feel they belong and to get rid of baggage that most of the time is carried into adult life.
So what can we do as we reflect on our imperfect world? There is so much unhappiness, unrest, and lack of answers. One good answer is this: We can only do so much. We can't fix the world, but we can make a dynamic impact on those around us. The impact we have as women, reaches through generations to come. The often quoted words of Abraham Lincoln summed up the influence he felt toward his upbringing; All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother. Yet another thought along these lines is an old Spanish proverb that says, An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.
Considering a woman's influence in the home, where do we go for guidance? Personally I feel there's no better place than the Holy Bible. The book of Galatians give a list of fantastic qualities to strive for in our leadership role. Even with the man in place in the home, we still have a strong leadership role in teaching our children. Consider these qualities that may not be as prevalent in our family life as they should be.
- Love~a willingness to love, even when not loved back
- Joy~forget circumstances. It takes a concentrated effort to be joyful.
- Peace~If you can get to this point on your own, I'll be surprised. For me it takes the understanding that God truly is in control. This takes the burden of the outcome of a situation off my mind. Then peace happens and it shows in homelife.
- Patience~Life is short. Get out of the rat race! Slow down. Drop some things from your life in order to enjoy the things that matter.
- Kindness! There's a shortage of this one in our world. Surprise your family with a new attitude of kindness rather than fault finding and grumbling.
- Goodness~ meaning integrity! That's another area where there's a shortage! Teach your children about honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, etc.
- Faithfulness~ Consistency in life matters. Be faithful to your convictions about life.
- Gentleness~forget harshness. Being gentle does not mean giving up power. Being gentle catches people off guard. It's not a popular response. The question is why?
- Self control~ If you put into practice the above fruits, you will have arrived at a point of self control.
 This may be a whole new concept to you. But think about it. What kind of husband, children, grandchildren do you want? We can't change the world, but we can change families and families make up the world!
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