As My Children Get Older…
They are now 13 and 11. Some days, the realization of time passing with them in my home just hits me harder than others. Maybe the holiday season makes me think of it more, but it’s been on my mind a lot lately.
I only have a handful of years before these precious arrows are launched into the world. In reality, only then will it be realized whether or not I have prepared them to face Satan’s temptations and a world that is increasingly against virtually everything we stand for.
But I have so much I want to teach them. I have so much I want them to learn and discover while under my roof. I have so many things I want to give them. Yet, with time not-so-slowly passing by, what must take the priority?
I won’t do all of these perfectly, but as I simply reflect and think out loud today, here are some things I want to do better as the years go by with my children at home.
Listen. My children’s needs are getting deeper. What they are thinking about and seeing around them is only growing more complex. As such, the questions they are asking are getting more complicated and the things they want (and need) to talk about are harder for me to discern at times. Still, they need dad to listen, and I hope I do that.
Prioritize God’s Word. We strive to do this, but it’s always a struggle. Still, I want my kids, no matter their age, to know that the Bible is part of our daily lives. Whether it’s reading a chapter or two together at breakfast, or a short devotional at night, or whatever it looks like, I want them to see Scripture open in our house often.
Love Their Mother. We grow ever busier, it seems, all the time. A great deal of that busyness is helping the kids, and with all the busyness also comes added stress at times. Still https://www.deutschlandcasinos.org/casino-bewertungen, I want my kids to see that daddy loves mommy through all the hurry and all the stress we might face. She is tops in my book, and I want them to know that all the way through to the end of their time in my home.
Teach Responsibility. I will be honest, I have not been consistently good at this in their younger years. They are okay at it at certain times, but I want my kids to know the pride in a job they have done and done well, but also in a work or act of service that they simply took upon themselves to do.
Oh, the list is endless. That’s part of the frustration of parenting. What you want your kids to know before they leave just grows. You always think of something else you would like to help with, and you nearly always feel as if you have failed in doing what you should have.
But I pray that I don’t give up. These two kids can be frustrating at times, there’s no doubt about that. But it is still an honor to be their dad, and I pray that I will do my best as the years go by to honor God in how I raise these treasures from Him.
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
