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My Children are helping me see life in a brand new way.

My kids are helping me see life in a brand new way.

You know - it's wonderful way to be learning. Think for a minute - what are your kids teaching you?
Are they teaching you anything?
Or are you too busy with your own agenda, like I was?

Gary told us last week how much his thinking has changed as he contemplates bringing Joanna into a culture which is morally falling apart. He caused us to think long and hard about that.
One thing my kids have caused me to think long and hard about is my behaviour. I realised quite quickly that they don't listen to a heck of a lot to what I say.

But they sure take in every thing I do! Particulary if I'm doing something I've just asked them not to do.
You know, their little eyes are watching us. I'm aware that they are watching me and I'm a role model to them and I'm building their character by my actions. I'm very much aware that I am teaching them about love when I show them how I love their mother, I teach them about honesty when they see me take a lost purse to the police station, I teach them to look after other people's property when I take Foodtown's trolley back after putting the groceries in the car.

I teach them about integrity when I put my name and phone number on a card and tuck it under the windshield of a car I've just backed into and I teach them about my love for God and thankfulness, not taking life for granted, our good health, each other, a warm bed, when we pray together at bedtime.


Too many people these days are relying on institutions to teach their kids right from wrong; too many are abdicating their responsibility to surrogate parents in Daycare Centres, and allowing peer groups to impart worldly values into their children. Instead of doing the job themselves.
You can't raise your kids from the afar. I doubt if anyone has ever said on his deathbed "I wish I'd spent more time in the office". Another very simple message is this,"The best thing you can give your children is time"

There is nothing profound in that.
 
 

But so many people don't get it.

What you hear today is,"I don't spend much time with them, but when I do I give them real quality time".
It's not quantity it's quality.

Sorry, Quality is spent T-I-M-E. My kids don't care that I'm a National Director and I travel around the country holding these conferences. They just want me. I believe, as parents ,we need to try to do something of value with our kids each day.
Now that's a big commitment. But my kids have taught me it doesn't have to be anything `big'. A mock fight on the floor, a made-up bedtime story , a walk around the block. One thing I like to do is just walk around the block, or go to the swings with Natasha - she's a laugh a minute.

She has this wonderful sense of humour, even as a four year old. Let me end with this neat story. About a year ago, Natasha and I were walking around the block one night. I looked down and saw that her feet were going nineteen to the dozen just to keep up with me.
Then I thought back to when I was a kid. I remembered walking beside my dad. He's six foot six. I could picture having to run beside him just to keep up. Then I could picture a time when we walked along the beach together.

I could still see his footprints in the sand and the huuuge gap between. I remember having to leap from one footstep to the next and never being able to reach. I looked down again at Natasha, this time with a little more understanding and said to her, "Oh Natasha, am I walking too fast?" I will never forget her reply.
No, daddy, but I am !!"
It's amazing - when we spend time with our children they give us a whole new outlook on life. And if we want they can mould us into men of character, integrity - Leaders. Remember the saying; "A man who thinketh he leadeth and turns around to find nobody following is merely taking a walk."

My kids taught me that!

(c) Andy Bray

 


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