Thursday, February 26, 2009

TT2

denise is back this thursday with some amazing advice for us. i just love this woman and her wisdom. here is her nugget of gold for us this week...

Sometimes I get tired of hearing myself talk...
pick up your clothes
hang up your coat
put your school stuff away
clean up your toys
clean up your room
be kind to your sister
stick up for your brother
stop complaining
fix your attitude
Do you feel like you repeat yourself more than you have an original thought? I know you do because a lot of moms talk about it. And I hear my Mom talking when it's my mouth moving!
Two things to help with that.
***WARNING***
It's constant and will never be mastered, but it's worth the work.
First, be/do what you're telling them to be/do.
"Clean up your room" ... Is your room clean?
"Be kind to your sister" ... Do you speak kind to them?
"Stop complaining" ... ???????
Second, don't just bark commands. Give them the reason why. It needs to be really brief - NO SERMONS! And if you're trying to raise them to bring glory to God, the reason should be a moral one when it's a moral action (for example, riding a bike is not a moral action). Then follow it up with instruction on how to do it right. The whole thing should take about 30 seconds.
"Clean up your room" ... not a moral action, although the behavior associated with it may be! :)
"Be kind to your sister" ... Be kind to one another.Eph.4:32
"Stop complaining" ... Do everything without complaining and arguing.Phil.2:14
God's Word is living and active (Heb.4:12) and is better than our constant talking/nagging!
Find some verses that work for you and your family. There's a Book full of them!
~type to you thursday~

2 comments:

Amy Coomes said...

Thanks Denise, I really needed that! My voice is something I've been working on (my New Years Resolution) with the girls. Kevin always says I try to talk to the girls as if they are adults. I go way over their head and lose them after 30 seconds!! And then to hear Halle talk to her dolls the way I talk to her! It is a little funny, but I also hate to hear some of it! I think I'm going to print some of the verses off and hang them on my mirrors and fridge so that I can see them everyday!

soccermom said...

Thank you Denise! Thank you for reminding us of much better ways to accomplish the things we need/want to accomplish as busy moms especially in a better way to glorify God!!