Sunday, January 4, 2009

teachable moments and little helpers

So we have begun a new year and I am still planning out my goals for what I would like to see this year hold for me and my family. Of course I already have a few of the basics lined out on paper, such as get up earlier, lose weight, stick to a schedule, be more organized, etc. - you get the point. Now I am filling in the details and those details seem to hit me right in the face sometimes, making sure that I know that that area of my life needs some improvement. 

So here are two specific goals for this year (and hopefully they will improve with every year):
* more teachable moments with my kids
* encouraging my kids to be helpers

It's funny how when you have one child, you can take all the time in the world to watch a bug. To see where it goes, follow its path, discuss what kind of bug it is, and maybe even make a life lesson out of it. But now with three kids, it seems as though I barely have enough time to keep one kid from slaying the bug with his sword (which I am thankful for when there are spiders around) and keep another kid from picking up the bug and loving it, all while trying to get the smallest kid to even pay attention to it, let alone to try to teach them anything about the bug.

These ages are GREAT for teaching. So I am looking for opportunities to teach my kids and to make daily life activities or chores as we know them - fun! My children beg me sometimes for me to let them help me. Unfortunately, my first response is not always "yes". I know that I can get things done a whole lot faster by doing a job by myself, but what will that prove? Granted, there are times when this needs to be done, but most of the time I would say that the more help the merrier! By allowing them to help, I am creating a sense of accomplishment, providing an opportunity for learning organization, teamwork, and the list goes on, not to mention the family time we spend together while cleaning!















3 comments:

gina said...

thanks for the reminder. i need to get better at accepting "help" for sure!

nGogo said...

How wise to make a goal to find teachable moments with your children. Isn't that how our Lord taught His disciples? We call them parables, but He took the daily situations and circumstances and turned them into teachable moments. Ordinary things that can remind us of a deeper principle. And sometimes not a moral lesson but a practical knowledge lesson. Your children are blessed to have a mother who looks for opportunities to teach them life principles. They will learn quickly and you will find they will soon do things well enough to be real helpers. They long to please and will blossom with your encouragement. You're a good mom.

rebecca said...

Those kids are precious. I love the pics at the end, as well as the reminders you gave. Although I just have one kid and technically, the time to watch the bug... I'm just looking forward to the time when he wants to watch the bug and not eat the bug!