How did I get here!!??

Work for Me Wednesday

Tips for moms who are weary! 🙂

For more Works for Me Wednesday, Check out We Are That Family!

My 6’1″ son asked today if I could please get him new jeans since his are getting too short…..again!  My daughter asked for band-aids because she cut her leg shaving.  How did I get to this point………. my almost 12 year old is shaving her legs and my 14 year old is over 6 feet!  I remember people telling me “it goes so fast, enjoy ’em!”  And “they” were right!

Well I have learned a few key things over the years and I thought I would share them with those who still have younger kids.  Just a little advice to keep you going when in those moments you think to yourself..Does this really matter?  Will this make a difference? Will this shape their character?  Will this draw my kids to God?  And for those tired, weary moments that everyone has…..hang in there what you are doing matters! 🙂

Here are a few things I have learned over the years……..

Read, read and  read to them while they are young!!!  I know I am a teacher telling you this, but I have seen what a difference it has made in my kids!  They are not huge readers at this age, but will pick up a book and enjoy it when they have time.  We used to pay them a dollar a book in the summer and other reading motivational incentives to get them to read.  I am convinced the background knowledge from books has made both of my kids good students.

Do not feel bad about disciplining your children.  I know it is hard at times.  But it is so important for children to understand there are consequences to their behavior.  This understanding is huge when they are teenagers.  My kids do not like being grounded now, nor did they like spankings, time outs or having privileges taken away when they were little.  But they accept them now, since they know their are consequences to their actions.

Be involved with their lives.  Teach their Sunday School class, help coach a soccer team, be a room mother, allow them to get used to having you around for their activities.  When they are teens and don’t always want you around, they will be much more comfortable with it since they are “used to having you around.”

Talk to their friends, find out what is going on in their lives, be personal with them.

Start early with feeding them food that is good for them, even if they keep spitting it out, keep trying.  Once they are teens (especially boys) all hope for good nutrition is gone.  So it helps if they come into those tween years with healthy habits!

Don’t rush the kids to embrace the latest trends, styles, or material objects.    Don’t rush them to see movies that are “just a bit beyond their age group.”  Don’t rush them into growing up.  Don’t give them a cell phone in 4th grade.  Let them wait for things. This is very helpful when they are teens when things really start to move fast and they want everything. If they are used to waiting is is SO much easier!  If they are used to being ahead of their peers, and getting everything they want, they will be very demanding of this as teens.  My kids still have not asked for a cell phone!  And we did not rush them into different stages of growing up and even though they have been public school kids all along, they still have a healthy sense of innocence to them.

Have FUN, be silly with them. Do activities with just them.  I have played 9 holes of golf with my son the last 3 summers, I am no golfer, and walking 9 holes of golf is not my idea of fun.   But the time together with him is priceless.  I met him at his level and interests and it always lends itself to fun and bonding.  He is 14 and he is still fine with hanging out and doing fun things with his mom.

Family game nights, silly times together, sleepovers in a tent in your house, wrestling with the kids, baking together, swinging on swings with them, playing laser tag with them, go hiking together.  Just a few ideas.

I know see how important the foundation we built for my kids when they were younger is so important now!

So there is my Part 1 on How did I get here and What Have I Learned. Stop by next week, same Bat time and same Bat place for Part 2.