Parenting: On Repeat
“Be kind to your siblings and let ME be the parent. Let ME be the one who scolds and rebukes. Not you. Your job is to protect and love your siblings.”
…
Behind all the smiles in family photos, bickering and unkind words have been heard around our home between the siblings.
Impatient.
Irritated.
Annoyed.
Yes, we’re a normal family.
…
And the above phrases (among many others) have been ‘on repeat’ in our family.
Sigh.
Often I wonder WHY I repeat myself so much when teaching my kids values and principles. I’ve lost count of the number of words I utter daily.
And frankly, I wish the kids could understand and ‘catch’ more of what’s been taught and actually ‘apply’ them.
But then I’m reminded of these verses from Deuteronomy 6:
(6) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
(7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
(8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
(9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
…
Instilling values, principles and God’s laws, should be done ‘on repeat’ indeedKids are kids, I tell myself again and again.
Instilling values, principles and God’s laws, should be done ‘on repeat’ indeed.
It should be a natural part of our daily life.
NOT just on ‘Sunday’.
It should be something we can freely discuss while we’re in our car, while we’re walking together at a mall, while we’re having dinner, while we go hiking, etc.
Yes, it’s not easy and the teaching process takes ‘forever’.
Don’t miss our ‘limited’ opportunity and time with themHmm … well, it may seem ‘forever’, but actually it’s not, because as the kids grow older, our influence and time spent with them gets less and less =\
(read: Instill, influence and teach them since day one! Don’t miss our ‘limited’ opportunity and time with them)
Oh well.
May God give us the wisdom, patience and consistency we all NEED everyday 🙏
