Called to be a Keeper-Children Week

         Last week, during my "Called to be a Keeper" Bible study, we were talking about setting an example. Not just any example but an example for the children. It just made me think about how I was raised and how I want to raise my own children. I noticed that I was raised in a lot of ways that the chapter talked about and it got me thinking about my own ways to raise children.
          I could name and explain 4 of the things that my parents did with me that I want to do to my future children not only to pass on the traditions but because it is really meaningful for life too. Here is the first 4 things that I was raised with: Books with great messages, Putting them to bed with the Word and prayer, church was never optional, and making wise use of care time. Some other ideas that would use for me were: Responsibility and Money, purity, and Teach kindness to one another. I might explain all of them or just some of them, we'll see how long this entry ends up being.
         The main one I took away from my childhood was: putting them to bed with the Word and prayer. The study gives three ideas on the way to pray with a child and my parents did all three. The two of those three things were: Prayer time at night was a special time at my house and Take turns listening to me pray and allowing them to pray for other people. My memory of this was this: I remember my mom coming into my room and she would sit by me on my bed and first when I was little she would help me pray. Then, as I was growing up, she would listen to me pray. She had a prayer that she taught me or that I kept repeating. Don't really remember which way it was but it went something like this.
          Dear God,
                Thank you (for everyone in my family in the age order that we were in, oldest to youngest, and I would say their names). Thank you for keeping my house and family safe. Thank you for our food and clothes. Then I guess it would be any prayer requests that would be going on that moment in my life.
         I remember that it faded into where I wanted to say that prayer without my mom when I got older and then of course I became a prayer warrior and started to pray for anything and everything. I'll never forget those moments.
          The next thing was church was barely ever an option in my house when I was growing up. Of course, I always wanted to follow my mom around so I would do what she did, which was always go to church and help with with the things she did like VBS and children's choir or be in it. I will say in high school, though, there were times that I went but really didn't want to go because of the way I felt at the church I was going to at the time but that didn't stop me. Now growing up on my own, I better find a church that I like when I move places and will look until I do. When I do, I will go every Sunday or Saturday and can tell a change in my week if I don't go.
            I have also never been big on like the youth groups or the small groups that churches have or had when I was little or in high school. I didn't do what everyone else my age did so that is probably way I am in a lot of older women's Bible studies instead of the Singles Bible studies. I just never fit the same mold as anyone my age on things like that.
          Another thing that I really remember was when I rode with my mom in the car, she would always have the radio on a Christian station especially during my high school years. Still to this day I love the groups from way back when and still listen to some Christian radio in my car on certain days at certain times. I also remember when I started driving that I was so embrassed when my mom would ride with me because I would have my radio station on country music so I would hurry up and change it but now I'm not like that. I do still listen to county but I don't mind changing it to Christian music when my mom or someone else is in the car. I was raised part county because my dad listened to it so you get both sides if you ride in my car with me, just depends on the day and my mood. :)
          Then the neat to last thing I'm going to really explain is the books with great messages. I probably did have some books with great messages in them while I was a child but the ones I remember is when I was in high school again and the main mag. my mom brought for me. The mag. started out as "Brio" from "Focus in the Family" and is now called "Brio and Beyond". I also remember that I got some chapter books that were about the "Brio"girls and their life adventures. I was also always a fan of the "chicken soup for the Soul" books.
          Then of course, I got an allowance each month when I was young, probably until I was 16 or until I graduated high school, to teach me about money and responsibility. The way my parents did it was they would give me my age in money every month for a year so when I was 8, I would get $8 dollars for 12 months and then when I turned 9, I would get $9 for that year. They said it was for every small chore we did around the house for that month but I don't know how true that was, that might have just been a way to get us to do the chores.
          The others that I didn't explain are pretty much self explained. I mean you could guess what my parents did with the others and what I saw them doing like sponsoring a child or helping at a nursing home for kindness and so on. It is just neat when you get to be an adult and you learn about things like this from your childhood. Like you really never understand why your parents did those things until you are much older and you do appreciate your parents and the things a lot more. Like me, you could keep the traditions going too.