Help your children too!

I have learned a few things from being a mom.  If you let a kid play in the sink you have 7.2 minutes before they get carried away and there's water everywhere.  I now know that ibuprofen lasts six hours and Tylenol four hours, so if there's a fever at night use the former.  I know that one symptom of an ear infection is eye goop, Caillou is the most annoying show ever, and in our town girls may play tee-ball but do not play in Rookies.  The average child weighs 20 pounds at 1 year and kids start losing their teeth around 5.  The cream for athletes foot called Clotrimazole works great for diaper rash, a child will not grow up with mental problems if you don't breast feed, their brains will not turn to mush if they watch TV, and if your child misbehaves it's not necessarily because you are screwing them up.

They say that no one knows a child better than their mother.  That's bunk because I've seen lots of oblivious mothers.  But a a mother Should know her child well.  Getting to know your child is something you have to work at and trust God about.  When I had my first child I read to her lots.  I mean LOTS.  She was very verbal and talked early and I thought it was because of me.  Then I had my second child and read to her lots too.  She was not as verbal.  It was a good thing to realize that my first child did not have certain gifts because of me.  She had them because God created her that way.  It's my job as a mom to recognize my kids gifts and encourage (push?) them in that direction.  My mom was wonderful at this.  If she thought I might be good at drawing, she bought me drawing books.  If I showed interest in horses I got riding lessons which she figured out how to pay for in a creative way.  What is your child good at or what are they interested in?  How can you help them?

This is a good book.  It talks about the different types of temperaments and helps understand your child's personality type.

This is another good book that talks about the different ways kids give/receive love.





If we continually treat our kids like someone they are not, we cause stress.  The Bible tells us not to do that.

Ephesians 6:4  Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Work at getting to know your kids.  In the process you will probably get to know yourself a little better too and we always have room for improvement.  Our children are precious to God and He has a plan for each of them.  Pray for them!  You are going to mess up but God is good and can redeem anything.   This is another good book and is about the different ways we can pray for our kids.

God chose you to be their mother and that's a big job.  Help them to be who God would have them to be and when you  are old may Proverbs 31:28 be fitting:

Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her: