My daughter, Melanie, wrote our post for the weekend.
If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. Abigail Van Buren
All we can do is add kindling to our children's lives, but it takes the Holy Spirit to light the fire. Taken from a man in Shawn's Bible class
Coming to you live!..from the living room bookshelves of our home.
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For some of you sweet readers out there who know me personally, you would agree that this type of post/info is not something I share publicly. I share in our home or in small conversations, but this - this is a big step! People are so diverse, and their opinions -- I'm sorry to say -- bother me if they don't match up with mine. (Oh, the problems of a people pleaser.) I'm a speed reader and my comprehension skills are not that of a Harvard scholar. That being said, take what you can from these books and let the rest be. If you use what you agree with from the books, then it's worth it to forget the sections you may not agree with...Selah.
(Before moving on, I cannot take credit for finding these words of knowledge on my own...friends and bloggers have lead me to these resources. And a shout out to my mom, who uses her well-earned money to purchase said books as Christmas presents or surprise UPS deliveries.)
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Two things we (Shawn and myself) feel strongly about: raising our children to know God's Word/way and raising them with a strong work ethic. Jesus, help us!...and cover them with grace when we fall so short.
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Let's just say that if you happen to be by a window while reading this particular book, then by all means make sure it's up. Wowzers! It will make you feel so challenged and convicted that you'll wanna hurl it out! Actually, on second thought, if you go ahead and read the book next in this line-up, then your kids will know how to work, and they may as well clean up the shattered-window glass for you. You're welcome. Problem solved.
This book is hands down my favorite book for training your children to have a good work ethic. It needs no explanation. Once read, you are welcome to do a victory dance. Well, as parents we have an enormous job to do...so maybe save the victory dance for when they leave the nest and maybe now just get right to work? (Smile) Oh, oops. First, the book To Train up a Child helped us the most with discipline. Even with me failing in being consistent in disciplinary procedures, God has been faithful in giving us obedient kids. With Shawn managing employees for 15 years, we definitely see areas that require firm foundations being established before our kids leave home. I love putting my kids to work, and I pray that God guides us showing them a healthy balance of work and play. Responsibility is a huge brick that gets dumped in a high school graduate's proverbial backpack once leaving home to be on their own. Starting now to train them that life is not all play, but includes responsibilities that have been placed upon them is the best advice ever. Nope. Didn't come up with that powerful revelation on my own -- I read things :-) My boys actually gobble up the time they get to spend with Dad on a job. In fact, just yesterday, from 5 AM until 6:30 PM, they were helping, and still begging, "Are we gonna finish tonight? Are we, are we?" Wonder when their enthusiasm will start to dwindle...btw, they stayed a bit longer and finished. A little child shall lead them...
Grandparents can help train! Mamaw always allowed my kids to enjoy washing dishes with soapy, sudsy water. Nana puts the grands to work in the yard or dusting in the house. One day, Ethan came home from Nana's, and I happened to mention, "Hey, you want to get some work done?" He gave me a look of utter annoyance and said, "But I've been working at Nana's!" Haha! Love it that they CAN work and they work because she knows they can. And before you fear they have unkind grandparents -- let's just say that their bellies are always kept full of chocolate milk, and other delightful things take place!!!
One author said something to the effects of: You may feel like it takes too much time to teach your kids to work, thus it's easier to do the tasks yourself. (I agree. It can take time, but it doesn't bother me in every area.) BUT, THEY SAVE YOU TIME ONCE THEY KNOW THE REQUIREMENTS! Woo-hoo!! Amen and amen! Case in point: The 10, 8, and 6 year olds have been having to help mom a lot in the house. Every week. But this week our schedule needed to change, so I declared a 'no work' day on our, well, normal work day. Happy kids! I believe it clicked with them that day. Keeping things up, being responsible, and working hard eventually pay off and we get extra fun time. An "Ah-ha" moment -- for mom and kids. Btw, they don't know that some mild work comes later this week...I just postponed it...
I'm not gonna give you a list of the things my kiddos do, but let me tell you, I am proud of them and I don't know why the good Lord has blessed me so much by giving me cheerful, hard-working kids when I fall so short of leading them. But I appreciate the help. It makes me feel like SuperMom.
Shawn has taken this book and invested hours into our kids before bedtime. Proud of that man. By that time in the evening, I am in no frame of mind to recite anything spiritual or fictional.
Would you pray for Shawn and me to help our kids make it to Heaven? That they will be strong in their faith? And that they will one day glorify God in their workplace? I'm saying a prayer for you as you do the same!
Family training:
King Me (Shawn)
Bringing Up Boys (Shawn)
Other reads I really think are good knowledge resources:
He Loves Me (Shawn)
Crazy Love (Shawn)
24 comments:
Great post, Melanie! What an awesome responsibility God has given us as parents! Thanks for sharing!
What a beautiful quote from Andy Stanley. It really encouraged me tonight. Thanks for sharing. : )
Evening Melanie~A Sheltering Tree Just found your lovely blog...the scriptures are really inspiring. Hope to visit again & again...Thank you for Caring & Sharing. Joy in the Lord, Ana Harshaw
Morning Pamela, I'm so sorry~I wrote Melanie, what was I thinking...it was in the middle of the night and I suffer from insomnia...please forgive. I've left other comments cause I really enjoy your blog...I think I wrote melanie on those also. I have a blog, I should start writing again I rally miss it. Thanks for understanding. Good day, ana
Those sound like great books. Thank you for suggestions! My Mom kept us working, and I turned out just fine. ;)
Enjoyed your post, thanks!
I love the title of this post! :) There are so many treasured thoughts and values to be found in the bookcase... Thank you for sharing this. :)
Oh MY! What a great list of resources! I loved reading your summaries of them all more though! What a great writer you are. Thanks for inspiring me to put some effort into getting my kids to help out more. Really. Thank you! Blessings! Visiting from Considering Grace (through Renewed Daily)
Thank you for the list of books.
I found several I can add to my ever-growing TBR list.
Pamela, if you haven't already been featured, would you like to be featured on my blog for the "Writers Blog Hop"? You can email me directly at michelle@consideringgrace.com Thanks!!!
We can learn so much when we read books. When my kids were younger, I read so much. Sometimes it was helpful stuff; sometimes not. But it gave me more to think about either way. Thanks for sharing what resources have worked for you.
I am such a book nerd-- and with our 17 month old, I am realizing that the role of raising a kiddo in a Christ-like home is a blessed yet daunting task.
I will be bookmarking this post and referring to it often ;-) Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful resource over at #EverydayJesus, Pamela!
I really appreciate this list as I prep for this next school year! Nice site!
First, I love the saying from Abigal Van Buren at the top of the post. Well-said! The book Cleaning House would definitely interest me....most definitely!
Hi Pamela,
I wanted to stop by and say Hi and hope your week is going well.
I'm bookmarking this post and then am going to create my Amazon wish list!! yay!
Ayayay... so much to learn and digest! As a parent I've learned to leave most of it to God! So I love the quote about kindling!!! Thanks! patsy
What two perfect ideals to raise your children to live by and I agree 100%!!! This is SUCH a great list of books and I will be checking them off my must-read list one at a time. Thanks for sharing at the Saturday Soiree Blog Party!
Keep us your work in encouraging women. I have the Circle Maker book but not the one for kids. My greatest desire is for my kids to serve God
They both look like books I need to read. I tend to do way too much because I want things perfect and don't have my kids do enough. I also need all the encouragement I can get to be a great mate because I wasn't brought up with those kind of role models.
Thank you for the giveaway and for sharing such a good list of books!
Great Post! I've thought alot about it since I've read it. So inspiring! God help us as we train our children for Him! Glad to hear your kids have to work too :) Sometimes I feel like my kid's chore chart is too long! -Kayla
I love the Abigail Van Buren quote you shared! That is so very true! A good dose of work and responsibility is what all our children desperately need right now (the transition into adult life will be that much easier). Thank you for sharing your book list. I have a few of the titles and will need to check out the others...
Thanks for linking up this helpful post to the Art of Home-Making Mondays this week!
Thanks for a great article . Would love to win one of those books for either my son and wife who are raising two children in the ways of The Lord or my daughter who teaches in public school.
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