Looking Back: Teen Mum #4

 

Things that I am glad I did when the kids were younger

 

1. ROUTINE – helped with having a sense of control as well as training

2. FAMILY NIGHT – planned, intentional time together

• Themes etc
• Priority in week
• Kids look forward to it/can be involved in planning
• Also opportunity to use for training – eg self control/forgiveness
• Prayer nights/different nights of focus
• Helps with family identity

3. READING NIGHT


4. TEACHING MANNERS – hard hard work but you hope it eventually pays off!

• Mr/Mrs,
• Asking ‘may I’
• Interrupt rule
   
  The funnel – ‘begin as you mean to go’ – much easier to let out the funnel than start with it wide open and realise you have problems and need to rein things in.
   
   

1 thing I wish I did do or wish I didn’t do

 

Wish I didn’t do/could have done better – ongoing! – let my mood govern a situation – modelling my OWN self-control. Comes down to being humble, acknowledging sin, realising need God’s help in every single situation and that He is the one that gives me self-control.

 

Also having a community of like-minded friends who are on the same page really, really helps, especially when the choices you make for your family are unpopular with them!!