Honor
Dirk and I have felt very honored by our children lately.
It’s often just in little things they say or how they respond toward us. It’s a nice feeling.
It’s things like hearing one of my daughters say that I’m her mentor, or another one inviting me to lunch at her house. One inviting me to coffee or wanting to go shopping with me. It’s our youngest daughter choosing to be married on our wedding day. It’s my oldest son sharing his heart. It’s the bear hugs of our macho teen boys.
It’s hearing how glad they are that Dirk finally did something for himself when he recently bought a motorcycle.
It’s the respect of a son-in-law wanting your advice, or one telling you how much he loves his wife, your daughter.
Today, our daughter, Anna wrote a comment on a blog listing her parents as people who speak into her life. She said we were amazing and relevant. Wow! I like that. Relevant.
We love them all so much and we are honored to be not only their parents, but also their friends.
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PS - Check out Anna's new blog here.
Showing posts with label Lasting Effects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lasting Effects. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007
Lasting Effects # 4
WORK ETHIC 
Wikipedia says, “Work ethic is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. A work ethic may include being reliable, having initiative or maintaining social skills.”
Sounds like a great thing to teach our children!
I’m not sure if it just happened because there was so much to do around the Meadows’ household, or if it’s something that we really believed in when we began teaching our children, but our kids have grown up knowing how to work. They are really hard workers!
And they’ve reaped blessings in the form of supervisor and managerial positions at an early age. Erin, a dance company director at 20, and a studio manager at 21. Andrew, a shop foreman at 21. Ali, a Super Cuts manager at 19. Anna, an associate youth pastor at 20. Katie had her pharmacy tech license at age 18. We’ll see what happens with the next two, but Kody (almost 15) and Jacob (13) already work with their dad and are able to put in a hard day’s work.
Teach your children to do household chores while they are still very young. Teach them that with maturity comes responsibility. You, and they, will be glad you did when they are older!
Wikipedia says, “Work ethic is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. A work ethic may include being reliable, having initiative or maintaining social skills.”
Sounds like a great thing to teach our children!
I’m not sure if it just happened because there was so much to do around the Meadows’ household, or if it’s something that we really believed in when we began teaching our children, but our kids have grown up knowing how to work. They are really hard workers!
And they’ve reaped blessings in the form of supervisor and managerial positions at an early age. Erin, a dance company director at 20, and a studio manager at 21. Andrew, a shop foreman at 21. Ali, a Super Cuts manager at 19. Anna, an associate youth pastor at 20. Katie had her pharmacy tech license at age 18. We’ll see what happens with the next two, but Kody (almost 15) and Jacob (13) already work with their dad and are able to put in a hard day’s work.
Teach your children to do household chores while they are still very young. Teach them that with maturity comes responsibility. You, and they, will be glad you did when they are older!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Lasting Effects #3
The “H” Word
A big topic in our home for many years is something very important to my husband……heritage. It’s a word that has great meaning to our family, because my husband is a curse breaker. For several generations, the fathers in his family were non-participants. And he decided to change that. So, the concepts of being a father who is involved in every area of his family’s life and the importance of leaving the next generation with a godly heritage were spoken of often. So often, in fact, that when the subject was brought up again and again, our children began saying in a teasing way, “Dad…..not the “H” word!”
Today, a sign hangs in my husband’s office. It’s a handmade wallhanging made by my oldest daughter. It says, “Heritage--- practices that are handed down from the past from heir to heir.” I know my children will never forget the “H” word and the importance of leaving behind that godly heritage.
A big topic in our home for many years is something very important to my husband……heritage. It’s a word that has great meaning to our family, because my husband is a curse breaker. For several generations, the fathers in his family were non-participants. And he decided to change that. So, the concepts of being a father who is involved in every area of his family’s life and the importance of leaving the next generation with a godly heritage were spoken of often. So often, in fact, that when the subject was brought up again and again, our children began saying in a teasing way, “Dad…..not the “H” word!”
Today, a sign hangs in my husband’s office. It’s a handmade wallhanging made by my oldest daughter. It says, “Heritage--- practices that are handed down from the past from heir to heir.” I know my children will never forget the “H” word and the importance of leaving behind that godly heritage.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Lasting Effects #2
What’s in a Name?
We are studying the scientific classification system right now. Last week I read something in our text that I’d never really considered before, but it makes a lot of sense.
It stated, “Whoever names someone has the authority or dominion over the one that is named. Adam named the animals and Eve; God named or changed the names of several people. Jesus gave new names to some of His disciples.”
On any given day, I feel more like my children have dominion over me rather than my husband and I having dominion or authority over them! But there is still power in the process of naming our children.
At the time we began having children, knowing name meanings was a rather new idea. And we took it seriously. It is something that we have found to have a lasting effect on our children. For instance, our first daughter is named Erin. Erin means peace. Now, Erin, being a first born daughter is not naturally given to peace. But we have found, over the years, that she has worked hard to live up to the meaning of her name. One time, she was visiting the bedside of the mother of one of her best friends whose health was failing. She told her that her name meant “peace” and that she had come to bring her peace.
Sometimes, we had to be a little more creative in deciding the meaning for a name. Kody means cushion. So we decided “comfort” was a good choice for his name meaning. And Jacob actually means “surplanter”, so we chose “overcomer” for his name. We have a "pure princess" , a "gracious joy", a "strong and manly" and a "truthful oath of God".
We have experienced many instances when knowing the meanings of our children's names was a helpful tool in encouraging them to live up to that particular character quality. Do your children know the meaning of their name?
We are studying the scientific classification system right now. Last week I read something in our text that I’d never really considered before, but it makes a lot of sense.
It stated, “Whoever names someone has the authority or dominion over the one that is named. Adam named the animals and Eve; God named or changed the names of several people. Jesus gave new names to some of His disciples.”
On any given day, I feel more like my children have dominion over me rather than my husband and I having dominion or authority over them! But there is still power in the process of naming our children.
At the time we began having children, knowing name meanings was a rather new idea. And we took it seriously. It is something that we have found to have a lasting effect on our children. For instance, our first daughter is named Erin. Erin means peace. Now, Erin, being a first born daughter is not naturally given to peace. But we have found, over the years, that she has worked hard to live up to the meaning of her name. One time, she was visiting the bedside of the mother of one of her best friends whose health was failing. She told her that her name meant “peace” and that she had come to bring her peace.
Sometimes, we had to be a little more creative in deciding the meaning for a name. Kody means cushion. So we decided “comfort” was a good choice for his name meaning. And Jacob actually means “surplanter”, so we chose “overcomer” for his name. We have a "pure princess" , a "gracious joy", a "strong and manly" and a "truthful oath of God".
We have experienced many instances when knowing the meanings of our children's names was a helpful tool in encouraging them to live up to that particular character quality. Do your children know the meaning of their name?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Lasting Effects #1
There are many blessings that accompany the choice to train and teach our children at home. Just recently, I realized a benefit I hadn’t even considered before. My older children, four of them now married, actually enjoy spending time together! The girls scrapbook together, they have girls’ nights out, (they even invited me recently!), they all, including their spouses, get together to watch movies, eat meals, play games, and just hang out together. What a blessing it is for us to see that they just plain LIKE each other!
I know this is a reward for the hard work of encouraging and encouraging and encouraging them to get along when they were young. The 24 hour, 365 days-a-year experience of living life TOGETHER has made lasting friendships. My hope is that your children will experience the same!
I know this is a reward for the hard work of encouraging and encouraging and encouraging them to get along when they were young. The 24 hour, 365 days-a-year experience of living life TOGETHER has made lasting friendships. My hope is that your children will experience the same!
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