Girls To Grow

A fair amount of my time these days is spent sitting and waiting.

I sat in the car, parked in front of the school playground, waiting for my daughters to finish their after school art class. I watched a small five-year-old boy sitting alone on the swings. With all the intensity he could muster, he focused on pumping his legs.

His progress was so slow; at first the swing barely moved at all. Back and forth he leaned, pushing and pulling with all his might to get going. I wanted to step to his aid, get behind him and send him soaring with one big push.

Yet as hard as it was for him to do it himself, I recognized the importance of leaving him alone. Sure, it would be much easier for me to assist, leaving him nothing to do but enjoy the efforts of my work. But what profit would there be for him in taking that route?

No, it was something he needed to learn to do himself. After all, how else could he get that boost of self-confidence that swept through him once he finally got going? His big grin wouldn’t be nearly as meaningful if someone else had done it for him.

As I watched, I thought about how necessary it is at times for me to stand back and let my children struggle. There are things I could do that might make it easier for them today, but in the long run would actually hinder their development. Acknowledging that they may fail, yet encouraging them at every turn will help them mature into a person who can persevere through difficult circumstances and empathize with others in similar situations.

While I’ll always be there watching and praying, sometimes they must step out and attempt something on their own – an unfamiliar skill, a public performance, a new relationship. And I will let them try and, yes, even sometimes fail – not because I don’t love them, but because I do love them so very, very much.

Linked to Word Women Wednesday.

photo courtesy public domain pictures

I’ve occasionally heard the familiar saying “Honesty is the best policy” changed to “Honesty is the only policy.”

That is certainly the case in our home. Even before my husband and I became parents, we agreed that lying would be strictly dealt with in our children.

Does that mean that our children have always told the truth? Not hardly. I remember when one of our daughters went through a brief lying “phase” around the age of five. If not for the seriousness of the situation, it would have been almost humorous because she lied about such inconsequential things – like what had happened to the papers she usually brought home from church on Sunday.

Especially during those early years, I typically handled any discipline problems that arose during the day. However, if lying was involved, we also included my husband in administering correction when he arrived home. From memorizing verses to discussing Bible characters who lied to reading practical application stories written on a young child’s level that teach the importance of truth telling, honesty was one character quality we stressed repeatedly. By showing them that lying always has consequences, I hope to ingrain into their character the necessity of honesty.

Why is it so important? Because without honesty, it’s impossible to build trust. As they are growing older and are away from us at times, it is crucial that we have confidence in their ability to tell us the truth. Even now, I try to remember to pray that if our children choose to lie, may the truth be brought to light so that they can be dealt with and understand the seriousness of their sin.

A large part of teaching our children about honesty is the example that we as parents set for them. That means refusing even to tell what we might deem as “little white lies” and being honest in all of our interactions with others. It’s not always convenient; it may mean dragging everyone back into the grocery store to return an extra dollar you mistakenly received in change, but living honestly in front of your children is always the right thing to do. Those eyes watch all that we do to see if we ourselves are living up to what we expect of them.

Is honesty a big deal in your house? How do you emphasize this character trait with your children?

photo courtesy public domain pictures

Linked to Raising Homemakers and Word Women Wednesday.

Ever since our girls have been old enough to enjoy watching movies, Saturday has been their weekly movie night. Clean from their bath or shower, clad in pajamas, they snuggle up in the recliner with blankets and a snack.

When we first began, the Fisher Price Little People series was a hit. We moved from those to the animated Madeline, then on to the Walt Disney classics like Bambi, Cinderella, and (one of my all-time favorites) Mary Poppins .

With the girls getting older, however, it’s definitely more of a challenge to find age-appropriate, wholesome, entertaining material for them to watch. While visiting the library one day, we happened upon Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, a movie based on the Mandie books by Lois Gladys Leppard. Since my ten-year-old had already been reading and enjoying the books, we decided to check it out.

While I don’t always sit and watch with our girls on movie night, I do make it a point to be close by when they’re viewing something for the first time. I was very pleased with the quality of the movie! The storyline was engaging, with just enough drama to make it interesting, but not frightening. The characters were well cast and the acting believable.

For Christmas, I bought them that DVD as well as the second one in the series, Mandie And The Cherokee Treasure. (If you’re a Pollyanna fan, Hayley Mills has a small role in this one.) The girls have been watching these repeatedly for their movie nights and seem to enjoy them more each time.

Whenever I find resources that provide clean, enjoyable, family entertainment, I want to share! Be sure to let me know your family’s favorite movies!

Links included in this post are Amazon affiliate links.