Guest Post: 5 Lessons I Learned From My Children



[isn't this little ruffled hoodie adorable? you can buy one today at evy's tree!]

~ Precious mamas, my family is off on a little adventure this week, and I'm honored to have special guests sharing with you in my absence.  Today, the lovely Jasmine from Far Above Rubies shares with us some lessons she's learned while raising her six little blessings. I'm excited about introducing her to you!  I'll be back with you all next week to share some exciting news! ~

Five Lessons I've Learned From My Children:

1.  Do not share family plans with small children in advance.

If I share thoughts of a trip to the park, a visit to a friend’s house, or a walk around the corner in advance, I’m bombarded with questions before the actual event.

Numerous little mouths going a hundred miles an hour is not fun, so it is best to keep quiet until the moment you are ready to do what you set out to do.

2.  Relationship triumphs over religion.

I can preach and teach God until I’m blue in the face, but if my children do not sense love, mercy, and forgiveness I sound like noise (1 Cor. 13).

Children respond more readily to a gentle and quiet mother who is also firm and consistent. Mom seeks to know and shepherd her children while maintaining authority and respect.  Religion can be harsh and driven while relationship is developed and nurtured.

3.  Let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no.

When you say you’re going to do something, do it. Follow your words with actions. It gives a sense of security and stability to know mommy and daddy mean what they say.

4.  Give children what they need.

It’s incredibly easy to give into our children’s pleas for toys, gadgets, and sweet treats, but if they do not need it - then don’t give it. For example, if your child is cranky and overly stimulated give them a nap, not food.

When I give my children what they need, the family experiences greater peace and order.

5.  No lectures.

When I see a glazed look in my children’s eyes I know I’ve talked too long. The phrase “No lectures or speeches allowed” should be hung up in capital letters somewhere in your home; that is, if you’re like me, and prone to drag the point home!

Short and quick works much better than a long and drawn out speech about bickering with brother.

Use reinforcement if needed, but be quick, firm, and loving.

Jasmine is happily married and a full-time homemaker and mother of six. She is the author and founder of Far Above Rubies, a ministry dedicated to equipping women in their roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers.  Be sure to visit her there!


 


[also shared at Raising Homemakers, Making Your Home Sing Monday, Domestically Divine, and {Titus2}sdays]




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Guest Post: Uh-Ohs and No-Nos ~ There is a Difference

~ Today I have the honor of sharing my dear, real-life friend Rachel Coltharp with the precious mamas here at LABB.  She has been one of those rare gems who continually mentor, encourage, and inspire me to live a better life for Him.  I just love her and I think you will, too! ~ 

Baby G is a great blessing to his three older siblings and to us. He is a bundle of energy that actually rocks the house with his laughter and mischievous ways. He is sweet and loving. He is also about to turn two.

You KNOW what I mean.

We have for the past year been using gentle correction methods with him. Like when he drops his food off the highchair onto the floor. But lately, the uh-ohs have mutated into something altogether different. The dropping became a game, not an accident. It then morphed into throwing. The accidents were treated as such. The disobedience has consequences. Not because I am a dictator, but because tiny seeds planted early grow into hulking habits later.

While not yet fluent in English, he has mastered manipulation and deception. Every time he intentionally breaks a rule, he tries to pass it off as an accident. After flinging a noodle or piece of oatmeal through the air to watch it smack with a thud against the cabinet then plunk down on the floor, he looks up at me with those huge baby doll eyes and says sweetly “Uh-oh, mom-mom.” But we BOTH know what it was: deliberate. And consequences follow.

Isn’t that just the way we humans like to play it? 

No one “sins” anymore, everyone just “makes mistakes.” A mistake is when you accidentally fall into a hole you did not see, that you were not warned about. But when you read the warning sign, ignore it, and THEN fall into the hole, that is no accident. That is choice. Sin has a payday, and that payday is death.

It is our duty as mothers to help our children learn the difference between mistakes, which are part of being human, and willful disobedience, which is a choice. Sin, in its seed form, does not always look evil, but planted in the heart and allowed to grow it produces the fruit of death. Don’t let little things go, in your heart or in theirs.

It is easier to pluck out a seedling than to uproot an oak.

Rachel Coltharp is a wife of one and mother of four. She is fluent in 4 languages: Infantese, Toddlerspeak, Teenlingo and Husbandism. She is a writer and public speaker who shares from her real life experiences, mostly mistakes and do-overs. She is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ and an avid disciple of the the Apostolic doctrine. She may be contacted at rcolt92@bcglobal.net or followed at rachelcoltharp.blogspot.com.

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[also shared at Women Living Well Wednesday]