Character Building

I so should be cleaning my house right now, but my mind is all over the place and I just felt that sitting at the computer typing may help me clear my head.

Lately I have been super focused on character building in my children-I desperately want (even more than a new camera) for my children to have Godly values and use them daily. Being a mom for nine years now I have seen and witnessed some great kids who have not been taught how to behave. I have also witnessed my own children display inappropriate behavior which has hit home the lesson for me that character building should be a HUGE priority for us parents.

This world is moving at such a fast pace that simple things like reading to your children, taking them to the library, and even taking small moments through the day to teach quality character traits has gone by the wayside. Please do not think I am being judgmental-I am including myself in this trap. We as parents want to give our children EVERYTHING and allow them to participate in EVERYTHING so we spend all our time chasing our tails and forgetting the small important lessons that need to be taught-such as humility, forgiveness, empathy, compassion, and helping a neighbor in need.

I love my children but they can on a regular basis act like entitled brats that want more of everything. I know it is our job to train them up so we have dug out the devotional book, added bible reading to our devotionals, and I am scouring the internet for more character-building tips. I am consumed with this right now. I do not want "busyness" to be an excuse for having bratty children. It will not happen on my watch.

I know it is not popular, but we are training my children to say "yes mam" and "no mam" and I am scouring for opportunities for my children to serve OTHERS. I do not want my children to have such a sense of entitlement that they are unwilling ot help a neighbor in need. Kyle volunteered at a camp this past summer for special needs children and he will be back this summer to volunteer again. I want to find an opportunity for David to volunteer-maybe the nursing home? I am going to check about opportunities for him as well.

I feel better now. Getting my thoughts out and strategizing a plan always helps me when I feel overwhelmed with something. I want my children to have strong work ethic-my husband was blessed to have that as a child. I will let you know how it goes as we focus this time on building a Godly character. I have found some new websites and I got a great magazine at the library today on service opportunities:)