Sparklers

Parenting is NOT for the fainthearted. It takes courage. Nelson Mandela says of courage, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

My husband I always joked that our children were perfect children because they had perfect parents.

I wish. It takes a bit more than that.

It takes the commitment from the first moment of realization that occurs when that new life enters the world that, WOW, this new life is your responsibility for, not just the next eighteen years, but for the rest of your life. The courage to rear confident, self-controlled children comes from a home of love, trust and affection; one that includes faith as a way of being – like breathing in and breathing out.

My first “perfect” child was born in the 70s, my second and last was born in the 80s. Basically, I had two only children. Funny thing, they have been best friends all of their lives and remain close as adults. I cheerfully proclaim, they are the best accomplishments in my life!

One of my favorite stories is the one the children tell of going places with their Dad and me. If they misbehaved, we would look at them and very seriously say, “Do you need to go to the car and find your manners?” Immediately their behavior would improve. Since that was the result, we never had to actually take them to the car. When they became adults we asked them, “What did you think was going to happen at the car?” Their response, “We didn’t know but we didn’t want to find out.”
Their Dad and I were determined to raise our children to aspire, not to be the president of the United States, but to aspire to be decent, caring, kind people. We did this from balancing discipline through boundaries with Christian teachings. It wasn’t always easy to be consistent. There were times when we wanted to let this one “instance” slide, but we loved them enough to establish a pattern that wasn’t confusing to them and it has made all the difference.

We all need to help each other with advice, time and love in raising our children. Therefore, I would like to let you know about a new program that might be helpful to you as a parent or as a grandparent. It is called “Building a Family Legacy” developed by Dr. James Dobson, whose books have helped parents since 1970 with issues and situations that sometimes we have not even thought about. In his no-nonsense style, he provides constructive advice. Although every family is different, the structure of this program is about helping children to thrive. This 8-DVD set includes all of the teaching DVDs in the Building a Family Legacy series from Dr. James Dobson and his son, Ryan Dobson. Through this series of hour-long films based on his bestselling books, Dr. Dobson will help families of all ages and stages. His wisdom, insight and humor will help to strengthen marriages and aid in the remarkable challenges of raising children. You can find out more from the following link:
www.familychristian.com/dobsonlegacy?utm_source=fcsemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MID43741SNO16800281

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