all parents have THE LIST. you know, the list that you create before you create children. the list of things that you really want to instill into your children. the “when i have children i am going to make sure that they __________________” (fill in the blank with any item off of your list).
my list has a lot of items on it. #1 LOVE Jesus. #2 have a passion for His Word. #3 make their beds every day. and then about 594 other things that don’t really matter. except they are on the list. and i am a list maker and a list checker.
if i had a list that included world peace and a little square to be checked off on it, you could bet that we would all be hugging and singing kum bah ya about now in 148 different languages. but that wasn’t on my list. but clean the shower was. and gosh darn it, the shower was cleaned today and the box is checked and all is right with my world.
so those other things to check off of my list include things like be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. oh wait, those are in the boy scout oath. well, i can steal ideas can’t i? “original” was not on my list. “clever borrower of great ideas" was on the list. check that box.
but for all the things that i haven’t really gotten to or seen fulfillment from (things like trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent) there is one goal that i have achieved.
i have three readers. and i really wanted to raise readers. i thought millie was a voracious reader. and then along came more voracious maxx. and i thought he was going to be the most voracious of all... until that rosie girl got bit by the reading bug.
right now she is whipping through alex rider books faster than alex rider whips through bad guys. she can’t put them down. she stays up way too late reading. and reads first thing when she wakes up. she can’t get enough.
and i love that.
because i think that the real reason that i have three readers is that they have a mother who is a reader. which may help me to understand how to get them to do the 593 other items on the list. i must be what i want them to be.
which might even include ME becoming more trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. darn this parenting thing seems like a lot of hard work... mostly on my own character. can’t i just read a book about it and check that off my list?
so there is one item checked of my MUST DO AS A MOTHER list. 593 left to go.