Have you seen the abcmouse.com commercials? It advertises this website that is suppose to help your child get a jump start in life! Wow! What a claim? What parent wouldn't want that?!?!?!
That commercial haunts me! It makes me worry. Am I doing everything I can to give my kids the jump start in life? I feel guilt about it. I wonder if my mom worried about my future the way early childhood development experts, educators, toy, game, and activities makers (and marketers) tells me I should. Even Dora the Explorer is telling me I need to prepare my kids for their most important adventure yet--kindergarten!
It's in these times as a parent that I really have to turn to God and let go of the external pressures.
Yes even in the Christian world parents judge each other. My kids knows more scripture than your kids and other petty lines of thinking, whether spoken or unspoken, burden us all. I have to ask myself a hard question. Am I training up my child to love God to impress other people and thus reflect well on MY parenting skills? Or am I doing it our of love? I am sharing with someone I love (my kids) my knowledge and relationship with someone I love (my God).
This week in the series I want to focus on having FUN with your kids in scripture. I was sharing my favorite verse
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My 3 and 4 year were repeating it after me and the word "continually" initiated a laugh fest in our house because they misprounced it over and over again. It sounded like various forms of "con-tig-you-ly". It was the cutest thing and we laughed and laughed. The more we laughed, the louder we got. Before I knew it, what I thought would be a quiet introduction to a new scripture, turned into a rowdy, riotous, extremely loud recitation of my favorite verse. It was even sprinkled with unsolicited "Hallelujahs".
You know your kids better than anyone, so do what they like. My boys love every oppportunity to yell, sooooo I let them yell the scripture. I am sure the lesson will come when we talk about the quiet times of God but today wasn't that day. And it created a memory I hope I will never forget.
(my closing prayer with be in all caps so you know I am yelling)
THANK YOU GOD! HALLELUJAH! YOU ARE GREAT AND I PRAISE YOU FOR THE BEAUTY AND JOY AND FUN IN KNOWING YOU. HELP US DEROBE THE LIES OF SPIRITUALITY THAT LIMIT YOUR WORK AND EXECUTION IN OUR LIVES AND EMBRACE ALL THAT YOU HAVE FOR US. AMEN
Blessings,
Julia
Amen! Or should I say, AMEN! I'm so encouraged reading this. Thanks for putting into words what many Christian moms feel everyday. Its easy to get overwhelmed by how the world defines parenting "success" ( a total lie, btw). Keeping God's Word fresh in our hearts & minds is the only way to stay sane!
Posted by: Sara | Friday, May 10, 2013 at 09:40 AM