Practicing Patience, Step One - PLUS some excellent links for you.

OK, so I promised some follow up posts about practicing PATIENCE!

And since it took me so long to post and you were all VERY PATIENTLY WAITING... I won't keep you in suspense any longer! (Ha! You were practicing patience without knowing it!)

So, the question of the day, HOW DO I PRACTICE PATIENCE?

Practicing Patience, Step One:

The first thing we have to do is figure out WHY we are losing our patience. We can do this by examining ourselves honestly. 

Are we stretching ourselves to thin? Are our expectations of the kids too high? Which people, circumstances or events always seem to push your HOT BUTTON? Sit down and make a list of all the people / places / things which influence you to lose your cool, cause you anxiety, tension, or frustration. Maybe it is something that we have a hard time accepting. Whatever it may be, write it down, bring it out into the light. Bring it out of our subconscious thought and into our forethought. Understanding and accepting what is triggering impatience will help us overcome and change our reaction!

Thanks for reading... Comments are always welcome!

~Robin~


Stay tuned for Practicing Patience, Step Two!

I have a few more very good links for you. 

A resource from a Christian perspective:
http://www.markmerrill.com/

Please also check out this blog post from Fierce Fathers (a great non-profit):http://iifortnoxii.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/im-sick-of-the-way-you-talk-to-me-son/

A great website by Dr. Laura Markham:
http://www.ahaparenting.com/

or you can follow her blog:
http://www.ahaparenting.com/_blog/parenting_blog

PATIENCE is a VIRTUE... so will somebody please give me a little?

Raising our children IN THE LORD is a H..U..G..E responsibility! I know I feel the pressure! My children's lives, in a way, even their souls, are dependent on the first years of instruction happening at home.

So let's jump right in to a "biggie" and talk about PATIENCE.

Kids will be kids! And it is so easy to resort to yelling and shouting to get them to LISTEN! (Or so it seems that this approach gets them to listen.*) And I am the one always telling the kids, "Patience takes Practice!" Guess what?! The first one they learn that from is ME, so I have to constantly stay on my toes and check what kind of example I am to them. One of my favorite Bible scriptures is the "LOVE PASSAGE" found in 1st Corinthians 13. Let's read part of it together.

"LOVE IS PATIENT, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NIV (emphasis added)

The root of patience is LOVE! Love is patient... it is not easily angered. If we want to practice being patient, we have to start with love. I love my kids, faults and all. And thankfully, God loves me with my faults, too! And God is so patient with me as I stumble through life, making mistakes, LEARNING from my mistakes, and trying again, always striving to be better. I want to apply that same love to my children. When they make a mistake, (and they will make many!) or try to test the rules, I will first have to take a breath and look at them with LOVE. Love is patient. So my love must produce patience.

Patience takes practice, and I need to practice what I preach! =)


*More posts to follow on HOW TO PRACTICE PATIENCE, and why shouting does not really work!

Thanks for reading... Comments are always welcome!

~Robin~

Train My Brain Too... Introduction

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 NIV

This quote is one of the first biblical passages shared between us when discussing how we are to raise our children, but how do we accomplish this type of training? How do we know that we are on target with how God intends for us to raise our children? And can we use modern day intellectual and technological advances to our advantage, or is technology a hindrance to reaching our goal?

LET'S GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS TOGETHER!

Over the years, a favorite saying in our home arose... "You have to TRAIN your BRAIN." We use this reminder when the kids say, "I can't..." or when they don't want to do homework, or say they're afraid of something. The brain is a POWERFUL influence over how we act and how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Now there are posts all over the internet trying to show us the value of training our brains for success. God's Word reminds us to think on positive things, if we want a positive life.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS... And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8,9b NIV (emphasis added)

LET'S APPLY THIS TO OUR CHILDREN! They deserve our time and instruction, they deserve our reminders and encouragement. When I look into my children's sweet faces, their eyes full of wonder and mouths full of questions, I know they are calling out to me... "TRAIN MY BRAIN TOO!"

In this blog I will post questions and answers, musings and findings, all for the purpose of training our children in HIM. Children who love the Lord, who love to learn, and who love to live as lights, this is my goal... OUR goal. So I'll get to work, and feel free to comment and share!

~Robin~