Many parents will see the Ten Commandments as a set of rules, that if followed, will guarantee entrance into heaven after death. However the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to force people to realize that they cannot perfectly obey the Law set by God, and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace! Remember to teach your children the truth - that NO ONE can perfectly obey the Ten Commandments! The Ten Commandments demonstrate that we have all sinned and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace, available only through faith in Jesus Christ!
1) “You shall have no other gods before me.” This command is against worshipping any god other than the one true God. All other gods are false gods. Remind your children of this OFTEN because they will be told by the worldly views that it does not matter which god you worship, you will allll bbeeee fiinnnee.
2) “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them..." This command is against making an idol, a visible representation of God. There is no image we can create that can accurately portray God. To make an idol to represent God is to worship a false god. Tell your child that creating a god that serves as a convenience to them is not okay!
3) “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.” This is a command against taking the name of the Lord in vain, such as "oh my G*!, etc. Teach your child that we are not to treat God’s name lightly. We are to show reverence to God by only mentioning Him in respectful and honoring ways!
4) “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." This is a command to set aside the Sabbath as a day of rest dedicated to the Lord.
5) “Honor your father and your mother" This is a command to always treat one’s parents with honor and respect. Even from a very young age, I began to teach this in my home! Treating parents with honor and respect could be taught by - teaching your child to obey immediately without argument, helping parents without being asked, cleaning up your own messes, using your manners with your parents, do what your parents ask of you even if others do not, etc.
6) “You shall not murder.” This is a command against the premeditated murder of another human being. Simply, to children, we do not kill.
7) “You shall not commit adultery.” This is a command against have sexual relations with anyone other than one’s spouse. Teach your children the basics about what it means to be married, the rest will come later!
8) “You shall not steal.” This is a command against taking anything that is not one’s own, without the permission of the person to whom it belongs. This, of course, is easy to teach!
9) “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” This is a command prohibiting testifying against another person falsely. It is essentially a command against lying. Again, easy to teach. When your child does lie or take something that does not belong to them, correct them and explain to them why they are wrong - be sure that they apologize to you and to God.
10) “You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” This is a command against desiring anything that is not one’s own. Coveting can lead to breaking one of the commandments listed above: murder, adultery, and theft. If it is wrong to do something, it is wrong to desire to do that same something! Teaching children to be content with what they have can be difficult in this "me me me me" age! Everyone is taught to get this and that because they deserve it! Do what makes you happy! Many are not teaching the youth to simply be content and happy with what you already have.
Bible verses to check concerning the Commandments:
Romans 3:23, Romans 7:7-11, Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Ecc. 7:20
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
JUST FOR FUN - TRAVELING!!!
Okay, this blog is not a biblical blog, but a good one for any parent!!!
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Time flies when you’re having fun - The miles fly by too! You can make a long family car trip seem a lot shorter if you have fun with your kids along the way. Plan ahead with a few car activities, and making the journey can be as much fun as the destination!
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
---Make a Trip-Journal or Scrapbook
Give everyone a big spiral bound sketchpad and a box of crayons or markers. Each day of the trip or for each event along the way, draw a picture of what you did that day, or draw a map of where you went, and write about it. You can also paste in souvenirs.
---Get a Good Songbook With All the Lyrics
It surprising how many songs you think you know, but you don't really know all the words. Have a singing marathon and learn the old classics by heart!
---Give Your Kids an Allowance for the Day
Tell them that this money is for snacks, treats, souvenirs etc. Help them learn to budget their money and make good choices.
---Let Your Children Have a Map
Give your kids their own copy of a map of where you are going. Show them how far you have come, how much further there is to go and let them mark it with a crayon. Every time someone asks "How much further?” let them see for themselves. You might also like to get a compass and show them how it works along with the map!
---Have Bubble Gum Blowing Contests
The weirder the gum the better. Get it at the rest areas and try all the different flavors.
---Magnetic Board Games
Do your children know how to play classic board games like Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, or Chinese Checkers? What better time to learn than in the car to pass the time! The magnetic car versions of these games are nice because they are small and compact, and have easy ways to store the pieces so they don't get lost.
---Counting Cows
Count the cows you see on your side of the car. If you pass a cemetery on your side of the car, you lose all your cows. The one with the most cows wins. I LOVE THIS ONE!!! ;)
---Read Out Loud
This passes the time quickly in the car for the reader and for the family members who are listening.
---Play Favorites
Have everyone think of different "favorite" questions for the group. What's your favorite... movie, flavor of ice cream, song, game, toy, place to visit, restaurant, book, animal, fish, etc. Be creative and don't forget to ask the driver too!
---Aluminum Art
Give everyone a sheet of aluminum foil. Have them mold it into anything they want: animal shapes, Frisbees, balls, jewelry, crowns, headband, necklaces and masks. Be creative. It’s inexpensive fun and easy to clean up. Toddlers love this one too!
Remember that it's sometimes nice to sit in the back of the van with your kids while Dad is doing the driving and play some games right along side them. You might be surprised at how much fun you have too. Happy travels!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Molding Your Children To Be Self-Disciplined
Self-Discipline - it's a BIGGIE!!! I'm talking to parents of toddlers here - now is the crucial time!!! Don't wait!!!
As a parent and a childcare provider, I find myself correcting children for interrupting, being wild, not following instructions or for not controlling their hands or mouths. These all require self discipline or self-control.
Young children (especially ages 2-5) are by nature very impulsive. Part of the solution for impulse control is to learn self discipline! So many relational and personal problems now and in your child's future can be avoided or controlled when one has self-control!
Here are some TRIED AND TRUE suggestions for teaching it to children:
1. Teach children to come when they are called! When a parent calls a child, that child shouldn’t yell, “What?” from across the house, parking lot or playground. (This drives me bonkers!!!)Children can learn to come to the parent, within a few feet, in order to have a dialog with the parent. This helps children learn that self-control sometimes means that we must give up what we would like to be doing in order to do something else. If you have a young child with a favorite toy, you know that this can be very difficult for them. Put the toy down to go see what Mom wants? Are you kidding me? ;)
2. Teach children to respond positively to correction. Woah-tough! Most children don’t like to be corrected and respond negatively in either aggressive (anger) or passive (bad attitude) ways. This is unacceptable and becomes a super opportunity to teach self discipline! Teach children to respond to direction (whether they like it or not) with a good attitude as well as right behavior. This requires self-control and helps children learn to control their impulses!
3. A number of social skills require self-control. Praise your children when they demonstrate this quality and point out areas they need to work on. Listening, knowing when and how to interrupt, anger control, reporting back after completing a task all require self discipline. I have found that talking about all of these things throughout the day until my son BEGAN to take control really made a big difference!
4. Encourage your children to take on activities that build self discipline! They may include sports, music lessons, memorization of scripture, a clean room, or a host of other activities!
5. When a child receives a reward like payment for a job accomplished or even a star on a chart or special treat, talk about self discipline. External rewards give a great opportunity to talk about internal rewards. The real benefit to a doing chores is not the money, it’s the building of self discipline. “I know you would have rather played the game but I like the way you took time to feed the dog. That shows self discipline!”
6. Use bed times to teach self discipline! Some children have a hard time going to bed without creating a battle and this becomes a great opportunity to teach self discipline to children. After all, it requires a lot of self-control for a child to stay quietly in bed while parents are still awake! You are shaking your head right now, because you know EXACTLY what I am talking about! :) Set a bedtime, develop a routine which covers all the necessary bedtime tasks and work at getting your child to stay in bed without Mom or Dad falling asleep in the room! This requires work on the part of the parent but will pay off tremendous dividends in the end. Trust me! WHEW!
7. Morning routines, chores, and family schedules become opportunities for children to learn responsibility and self discipline. Teach your child that Responsibility is “doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” The rewards for being responsible are called privileges. The child who is responsible to get ready and be at breakfast by 7:30 a.m. is allowed the privilege of staying up until their 8:00 p.m. bedtime! Being able to choose one’s clothes is the privilege for getting dressed before the deadline.
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Some parents may try to give their children an easier life than they had or they try to make their children feel good at the expense of good character. Unfortunately, this often translates into more freedom and less self-control! It's not okay!
A wise parent will use childhood to prepare a child for success as an adult. Self discipline is one of the most important character qualities your child can develop! Ironically, spoiled children are not happy; self disciplined children often are!
So teach your little ones, Many times we want to do something and feel that we cannot wait, but when we do wait and exercise patience, we discover that we really did not want it in the first place. No impulse! We must learn to control our actions and feelings!
__For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. 2Timothy 1:7 __
Do not be afraid to teach self-discipline to your children! This will SURELY help them in future situations and will help them also to live a life that pleases our Lord!
Amen to that!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Kids Zone
Great website for your kids here! It's the Kids Zone!!!
This is for older children - some GREAT "stuff" that they will love!
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