Heart of the Matter~Considering our Children

My children need me. It’s a fact of life that we will hear “Mommy” about a zillion times a day. This is true whether they are toddlers or teens. When I’ve heard “Momma” for the 1,002nd time and I’m still mixing the pancake batter for breakfast, how do I react? Am I considering some of my children’s needs? Here are some good questions I can ask myself:

~Am I overreacting? (Hhhmmm, how did this one get on here again?:o)

~Does that Lord want to teach me or my child something through this? (Don’t let your harsh reactions stand in the way of a teachable moment that the Lord is providing.)

~Is my child acting childishly or foolishly? (There is a difference. Children are going to be childish and make mistakes, but it becomes foolishness and sin when they know what they are doing is wrong. We need to deal with and correct their sin but we also need to have compassion and realize that sometimes they are being just kids. It’s easy to have my expectations too high and expect too much.)

~Is my child doing the best he can for his age? (My little Silas wants to please me. I love that! I’ve been teaching him how to make his bed. I gave him a little tutorial on the “how–to’s” of making a bed and told him that we’re going to start making his bed in the mornings together. He was so excited! He gets to do something fun with Momma every day! I love it! [If only my teenagers would think it’s still fun!] It’s so cute when he remembers. He takes his sheet and throws it over his pillow. Voila! The bed is made! Now, yes, he has forgotten his quilt, a couple of stuffed animals, and the wrinkles, but you’d never know it by the way we all cheer! He’s so proud and so are we. Eventually he’ll have some more teaching sessions, but for his age he’s doing amazing! Now, if my 15 year-old Joshua did the same thing, it’d be a little different story! I require more of him because he’s older and has been taught how to make the bed. It’s important to consider the child’s age and capabilities throughout our day. We can sometimes have too high of expectations and our poor kiddos will feel like they could never win or achieve what Momma’s asking.)

~Does my child just need some extra one-on-one attention from me? (…the time where I look them in the eye and give them all of my energy and attention. Sometimes, we must stop and consider that our children just need our full and personal attention.)

~Does my child feel well? (Or maybe he’s catching the bug everyone else is getting. Sometimes it has taken me a while to realize that one of my children isn’t doing everything they are supposed to, simply because they aren’t feeling well.)

Now, I’m not talking about making excuses for your children. They desperately need consistency! I’m talking about stopping, thinking things through, and doing the best you can to act in a Christ like way. The Lord is so forgiving and gracious to us. Not to mention super patient! He’s the best parent, for sure. We fail when we react in a way that’s just spur of the moment, off the top of our heads and in a nagging manner. Remember, an uncontrolled reaction is just a quick response of the flesh! I want to be sweet with them and shower them with love and praises as I guide them. To do this, I must cause my heart to consider