The Power of Example

I am an over-protective mom.

When my kids ride in a car, they ALWAYS ride in seat belts or approved boosters. I was even told one of my children needed to NOT be in a booster because she was too big. My one year old daughter still rides with her carseat facing backwards, because it is safer.

Every one of my children wear helmets when they ride their bikes or scooters, period. I used to have trouble with my husband. He'd make comments about how he never used a helmet when he was growing up. But, after a helmet saved the life of our third daughter, he was convinced.

Now, I've discovered just how powerful examples can be. Our three year old son has a very cool bike - it is a Tonka bike. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to ride it nearly as often as he would like to, because we live on a relatively busy street and I'm overprotective. But, I recently told him he could ride his bike on our walk.

After giving my little guy permission to ride his bike, I proceeded to finish getting my youngest daughter ready for our walk. In a few minutes, I called for my son, to let him know it was time to get his bike out. I couldn't find him ANYWHERE! I checked for him upstairs, downstairs, and in the back yard. He wasn't anywhere, but I did discover the garage door was open.

To my horror, I found my son riding his bike up and down the street!!

Though he'd never been shown how, my little three year old unlocked and opened the garage door all by himself, put his helmet on (backwards), and pulled his bike out of its assigned spot. All learned simply by watching the example of others.

It is easy to forget just how powerful our example is, and how much training is going on simply by the example we set.

I wish I always set good examples! I wish that I always made the right choice. Because I always see, in my children, the results of the example I've set. In this case, the example was good. I wish it always was.

The Danger of Safety

As a dutiful homeschooling mother, I recently checked out several books on safety from the library. You know, all the cute little preschool stories about looking both ways before you cross the street, why you never talk to strangers, and what to do if you catch fire.

Being the dutiful homeschooling mama that I am, it seemed appropriate, after reading a book on what to do if you catch fire, to practice. So, we did.

First, we went through the steps:

1. STOP
2. DROP
3. ROLL

It was simple enough, so after reviewing the steps, we were ready. We milled about the room for a few moments, then I announced, "Oh no. You're on fire!" Immediately, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, dropped to the ground, and proceeded to roll with great enthusiasm and giggling (it is, after all, quite entertaining to be rolling around on the ground pretending to be on fire). The problem was, we didn't roll the same direction.

You can imagine what happened; kids rolled into each other and into furniture. In just moments, pandemonium broke out! Two kids simultaneously burst into tears. Then the baby, sure something terrible was going on, added her shrill cry to the cacophany. How, I asked myself, could a lesson on safety go so wrong?

Then, almost as quickly as it began, the rucus was over. Cuddled in the safety of Mom's lap, with comforting arms around them, the three youngest kids were soon consoled.

It was a very memorable lesson, though I think I learned more than the kids. One thing for sure, the next time we practice safety techniques, I'll be sure to coordinate our response and clear the area of furniture!

Rocket science... or not

Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake. To borrow another phrase, I may not be the sharpest tack in the box. That is the only reason I could have lived in the same house for over a year and only today had my "ah-ha moment." And no, it did not take a rocket scientist!

The source of my ah-ha moment was with the shower. We have one shower. We have seven bodies using that one shower. Thus it is logistically impossible to get every one of those seven bodies clean and ready for church on Sunday morning. Not only do we quickly run out of hot water (not too bad in the summer, but very much a bummer in the middle of winter), but we also quickly run out of time! If you figure 15 minutes per shower (and that is conservative when six women or women-to-be are showering) times seven people, it takes almost two hours of constant use, just to get bodies clean and that doesn't include time to dry off or wipe down the shower walls!

Though I knew a household of women would need a second shower/bath in time, it wasn't until today that I realized just how badly we need one. If we had a second shower, we could reduce the necessary shower time by half (though it would do nothing to reduce water usage or the available amount of hot water) and reduce the burden on our main bathroom.

Unfortunately for us, I have no idea how long it will take to get that second shower or even where to start. I have an old clawfoot bath tub and we have a place for a shower/bath, but getting from need to concept to design to implementation is a process I can not even imagine right now. So, we'll have to figure out another creative solution. Hmm, I wonder what time the Y opens on Sunday mornings?

Christmas memories

I love Christmas!! It is such a special time, filled with precious memories, traditions, and (my personal favorite) time with family!

Actually, this year was extra special because we had extra time with my husband's family. Everyone is pretty tired by now, but the time over the last week has been very sweet. To top it off, today we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family, too.

You really CAN take it with you

I'm a pretty proud parent, in a subtle, unassuming sort of way. I love, no, I absolutely adore my children and have invested my entire life in caring for them and preparing them for adulthood.

I also love Jesus and believe the Bible is true. I believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell, and I believe some people will choose to go to Hell (because God doesn't choose to send anyone there-we can talk about that later). Because I hold these to be facts, I am also investing my life in teaching my children about Jesus. And the reason is simple; my children are the only treasure to be in Heaven with me.

You've probably heard the comment that not many U-hall trailers are pulled behind a hearse. The reason is, the person riding in the hearse doesn't need their "stuff" anymore. They could not take anything with them; it all got left behind. Many different cultures tried to send provisions with the dead, but all attempts have been futile. That is why treasure hunters find treasures in tombs.

But, since my children are my greatest treasure, and since those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved and go to Heaven, then all my children who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ (5, to this point) will go to Heaven. We will be there together. My greatest treasure will be with me. I can't imagine a more wonderful way to invest my life, or a more worthwhile return on my investment.