Girls To Grow

One of our daughters’ favorite games is something they invented and call “Tickle and Tackle.” (I personally am in no way involved in this adventure!!)

They have been playing “Tickle and Tackle” with their daddy for years; it entails lots of rolling around on the floor as he grabs and tickles them while they squeal with delight. The tackling involves the girls throwing themselves at him while he’s seated on the floor and attempting to “knock” him to the ground. Other variations include horseback rides and fairytale reenactments.

My husband is a wonderful father. He’s very good at making our children laugh and often lightens the mood when the three of us “girls” are not so cheery. While the day will come when “Tickle and Tackle” will no longer be played on our living room floor, I enjoy witnessing the relationship he is building with our daughters and I know it will pay great dividends in the years to come.

Do your children have a favorite game to play with Daddy? Share any ideas you have for building that father-child relationship!

She glanced up at the memo board above her dresser, its pink and white gingham background nearly covered by photos and handwritten cards.

She goes from one room to the next, her voice lilting softly, her words audible to others but performed for her own pleasure. The chore of putting toys away, returning books to their shelves are more enjoyable tasks as she sings her way through them.

Tuesday night I had an opportunity to attend a pet show.

I didn’t have to get dressed up – or even leave the house. I did have to pay a small entry fee; a dime covered the cost for my husband and myself.

All of the animals were well-groomed and behaved wonderfully. Despite the lack of cages or carriers, the various pets kept mostly to themselves. There was no growling or barking, no shedding hair or chewing on furniture.

The pets in turn performed unusual tricks. The handlers were a bit young, but handled each animal with great care. The entire ensemble performed a rousing rendition of “You’re a Grand Old Flag” near the close of the program.

Each of the (two) audience members was allowed to vote for their favorite pet before the awards were handed out. The first, second and third place ribbons were beautifully handmade, as were the “good” certificates handed out to those whose performance wasn’t quite their best.

Live entertainment – there’s nothing like it!

One of the areas in which I desire to help my children grow spiritually is in learning God’s Word. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”

It’s amazing how many of the verses that I memorized as a child I can still recall today. I also know how much more difficult it is to memorize anything at my current age! While my children are still young, I want them to practice hiding Scripture in their hearts.

Here are six ways we can expose our children to God’s Word.

1. Have a family devotional time. Hearing their dad or mom read aloud from the Bible shows children its importance.
2. Attend church as a family. Listening to a pastor, evangelist or other speaker teaching and preaching from the Bible emphasizes the principles you are practicing at home.
3. Have Scripture verses displayed in your house. I previously mentioned taping up a list of Bible verses in my daughter’s room that are a comfort to her at bedtime. I have been in homes where framed Bible passages were part of the decor.
4. Play cassette tapes or cds of Scripture songs for your children to listen to at home and in the car.
5. Participate in a children’s program at church that emphasizes Bible memorization. Work with your child on learning their verses. If this is not available, write out a list of simple Bible verses that you can help your child memorize at home.
6. Read books that include Bible passages to your child. Look for books that include Bible verses as part of the text or that demonstrate the meaning of a Bible verse through a parable.

Helping our children learn the Word of God at an early age can provide them with a solid foundation in so many areas of their lives. For more ideas on actions and attitudes to make your home sing, visit Make Your Home Sing Monday.

Some time ago, one of my daughters began having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Our pediatrician recommended putting a fan in her room to create white noise. Around the same time, we moved she and her sister into the same room in order to use the other bedroom as a play room. Between the two adjustments, the problem seemed to be solved.

However, it resurfaced a few nights ago. She lay in bed for at least an hour and a half before falling asleep, then came to our bedroom an hour later to say she was awake and couldn’t go back to sleep. After a repeat of that on Sunday night, I began wondering what to do.

She and I had already begun praying together about the issue. On Monday afternoon, while I was outside walking in our neighborhood (keeping one of those New Year’s resolutions!), I prayed and asked God for wisdom for the situation. A moment later, the thought that came to mind was to find a few Bible verses that talk about sleep, print them out on a sheet of paper and tape it beside her bed. We could read through them each night before I turned out the lights and, even in the dark, she could know that those verses were there.

When I picked her up after school that afternoon, I was excited about sharing my idea with her. Before I could say anything, however, she mentioned to me that in her devotional book that morning she had read that when you pray for something, you should believe and have faith that it will happen. She said she didn’t feel like she had truly believed God would answer her prayer about falling asleep quickly, but now she did and would pray that way.

I then shared my thought and, since she thought it was a good one as well, we decided to do it.

Here are the Bible verses we chose to use.

• Proverbs 3:24 “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”
• Psalm 4:8 “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
• Psalm 127:2 “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
• I Thessalonians 5:10 “Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

I’m happy to say that, between the Bible verses and faith in prayer, she had a great night of sleep! I’m hopeful that this will continue and so thankful that we can pray to God about anything, including wisdom to handle every situation, and He will hear us. Having her (and me!) sleeping through the night works for me!!

Be sure to visit Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Dear Dad,

I’ve heard it said that a child’s first image of God comes from his view of his earthly father. If that is the case, I was truly blessed to see love, compassion and sacrifice displayed daily in your life.

Your heart for others is large and encompasses your family, your church members, the stranger at the gas station asking for money. You feel for people as if you’ve tasted their hurts, known their need. Giving so that others may possess the pleasures of life brings you greater joy than experiencing them yourself.

Your wisdom seems unending, because its source is the One who is all-wise. Your spoken prayers take me to the very throne of grace, because the visits you make there alone are frequent and sweet.

Before I could grasp the concept of God’s love, I knew yours – and it led me to His.

Thank you for being the dad, yea the person He created you to be.

Happy birthday.

Your loving daughter

This post is linked to Tuesdays Unwrapped hosted by Chatting at the Sky.

photo courtesy public domain pictures

She finally did it!! After months of saving the “commission” money that she receives for doing weekly chores, hoarding funds received for her birthday and Christmas, and completing random household tasks for extra pay, my nine-year-old daughter finally had enough money to order the American Girl doll she wanted. We placed the order online yesterday afternoon and she will be eagerly waiting for that special package to arrive.

Visit Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

While rummaging through a hallway closet on Saturday, my nine-year-old spotted a stack of games on one of the upper shelves. In our “pre-children” days, my husband and I used to play these when we got together with friends. Our daughter asked if I could teach her how to play some of them so, since our girls were out of school yesterday, we designated Monday as a “Game Day.”

After eating breakfast, making the requisite Monday morning trip to Publix, and stirring up a batch of cookies to share with an older couple in our neighborhood, we started our game day with a throwback to their earlier childhood – Candy Land.

We hadn’t played this game in a long time. I realized again how much nicer it is to play games with our girls at these ages as their reactions to losing aren’t quite as emotional as they once were.

Next came Pit, the classic card game of trading commodities.

I didn’t know that our daughters would understand this game, but I obviously underestimated them because they did quite well. I think, however, that their favorite parts were ringing the bell and trying to out yell each other when calling for trades! Throughout the rest of the day, whenever I declared it was game time again, their choice was Pit. We even had to play a few rounds with my husband after supper.

It turned out to be quite fun, interspersing a few chores, piano practice and outside time with playing games. Growing up, we often had a family game time on Friday nights. With the girls getting older, I’m looking forward to doing something along those lines myself.

Does your family enjoy games? What are your children’s favorite games to play? Which ones work best for playing as a family? I look forward to finding new games to try!