Back to School

Emily and I were off running errands, and we needed to stop at Walmart for a couple things.  Before we got there I said with excitement, "I bet the school supplies are out!"  As we walked in the door, I giggled with joy when I saw the isles of note books, pencils, and glue.  I love this time of year!  Getting my school room organized, receiving my shipments of books from UPS, and counting down the days until we begin are some of the highlights! :)

When I was checking out, the guy said to me, "Are you excited about the school supplies?"  I smiled and told him I was.  He said, "Ya, the day I went back to school was my mom's favorite day of the year."  My heart sank.  Then I said, "Well, it is my favorite day too, but I home school my children."  Then he looked at me in disbelief and said, "Oh, OK."

How sad that this is how many American women feel.  They can't wait to get rid of their children.  When I got home I told my children (not that they don't already know this) how much I look forward to hours of reading and studying with them.  I get to spend the whole day with them! :)

Of course that doesn't mean it is always easy.  Homeschooling is not perfect.  And yes, there are days when I would rather leave, but those are the exception.  But whether we home school or send our kids to public school, we should not make our children feel like we don't enjoy being with them.  And if it is true, that we don't enjoy our children, then we need to fix that problem.  One thing I love about No Greater Joy ministries is that they teach parents to love their children and enjoy being with them.  If you don't have a copy of their child training book, you need to get one, or visit their website (the link is on my sidebar).  Read and learn, and enjoy your children!   They are a gift from God! :)

Mother Hen

Mother Hen and her chicks

Last week one of my kids heard peeping in the barn while looking for stray eggs from disobedient hens who refuse to lay in the nest boxes in the chicken coop. :)  Following the sound, they discovered a nest of six little chicks in the hay loft.  Here the broody hen that they thought had disappeared was hiding in the loft of the barn sitting on a nest of eggs! :)  The kids were thrilled!  Ordering chicks is fun, but having a hen hatch out a batch right on the farm is even better.  So the children moved her to a small brooding pen in the chicken coop in order to keep her chicks safe from the cats.

Now the children have added changing mama chickens water and giving her feed to their list of morning chores.  This morning at breakfast, they were telling me how protective mama hen is.  Most hens are this way, but this mama is especially protective!  Jonny said she was viciously scratching his rubber boots with her claws and pecking at his legs this morning.  She is determined to keep her babies safe!

This reminded me of something I had read one time.  In Debbie Pearls book, Created to be His Help Meet, she has a chapter on loving your children.  She encourages moms to be watching out for their children.

We know the facts...one in four kids are molested...kids are kidnapped every day...and abused in many ways.  So, knowing the facts, do we make careless decisions about who our children spend time with and then just pray for protection for them?  God has already provided protection for your child - YOU!  Would you sit out in the rain and pray for a dry place when God had already provided shelter for you?  There are some things that we don't need to pray about because God has already provided the answer.  Do not be lazy, mama!  Watch out for your little chick; it's your job!  There is no reason to be afraid, but there are many reasons to be protective and rude if necessary in order to protect your children.  Debbie says,

"How many times will your little toddler wander down the hall (while you sit in a roomful of friends engrossed in a video) before some young "trustworthy" teenage boy slips silently in behind him or her and maneuvers her into the bathroom for a four-minute "session"?  When the four minutes are up, your little child will emerge forever broken and diseased.  You cannot pray and expect God for supernatural intervention and protection.  God has already provided for her through you.  You can and must pray and ask God to make you a more attentive and sober parent, that you might better protect your children.  You are your babies' keeper.  Please, keep them well."

In our home, my daughter does not go anywhere alone with a male, other than her father and brothers.  I don't care if it's a relative, a good friend, or someone that I think I can probably trust.  Knowing the statistics, makes me a fool to do otherwise!  It is simply a rule that we have always had, and if I have to be rude in order to enforce it, I will.  God has given my daughter a mother for her protection!  It is WISDOM to put these rules into practice, and a mother who overlooks the facts, hopes for the best, and says a prayer for protection as she carelessly drops her children off with whoever she can find to babysit, so she can have some time alone, is a fool!  You are your children's protection, don't neglect your duty and be lazy!  Watch out for your kids, pour your life into them, sacrifice your "me time" right now and be what God called you to be...a "Mother Hen"!