Motherhood | Page 23 | Minivans Are Hot

Balancing Act

September 23, 2009 by Kelli

I’ve noticed recently that I have quite a few more readers following my blog on a daily basis than I realized. I mean, I’m not experiencing mutliple thousands of hits per day, but my readership has increased significantly in the last few months.

While I’m grateful for this fact, as I’d always hoped to turn this more into a creative outlet for my writing and less of a family journal, I also feel a lot more pressure on a day to day basis because of it. I find myself thinking of things to write and then talking myself out of it because I’m not really sure if anyone would actually want to read about said topic or it seems funny in my head, but translating it onto cyber-paper loses the effect.

Whatever the case, I do find myself thinking a lot more about my words, how I write and how much I really want to share with the world.

I enjoy writing about my kids more than anything, because…well, because they’re funny. For example, yesterday Sloan came home and told us that the girl from iCarly is hot. When Lee asked him what that meant he replied, “Uh, you know it means she’s, like, really awful…Really, I just like to say that she’s hot!”

Six year olds say funny things and I love to capture those things so that someday, when he’s all grown up and we are at his rehearsal dinner the night before his wedding, I’ll be able to read some of the funny things he said and reminisce about the boy that he once was.

But there is a balance on how much I share about my kids. I try to think clearly through how they might feel about what I wrote for the world to read when they get older. I want them to laugh at these stories – I don’t want them to be embarrassed.

So, sometimes, I keep things to myself. Even if they’re funny. There have been a couple of times when I’ve contemplated writing about a particular struggle or disciplinary issue, in the hopes of getting some insight or wisdom or understanding from other parents, but have refrained eventually because I don’t want my kids to look back and be ashamed or humiliated by my words.

This is a balancing act.

I also enjoy writing about motherhood issues because that’s where I am right now. I’m in the thick of this thing called motherhood and it’s so nice to know that I’m not the only one who sometimes feels isolated. Blogging has become my lifeline to a world outside the walls of my home. There are some days when I get so discouraged as I look at the caller ID on my phone and realize no one’s called my house in two days. But then I see that I have several comments on my blog and my spirits are lifted, because, while it’s not as personal, it’s still a connection.

Motherhood can be lonely sometimes, yes?

My conundrum with writing about all things motherhood, however, is that I often feel like I don’t have that much to say. I don’t have any innovative child rearing tactics. I’m thankful each evening when I tuck them in to bed that they’re all still alive! I do aim to mother with purpose, but I don’t feel like I’m a good cheerleader on the sidelines of the motherhood game.

I’m more like the pimple faced, uncoordinated kid who stumbles around the field and every once in awhile bounces the ball off her foot and falls into the end zone.

What I mean is – I have a plan in my parenting, but I don’t have an excellent plan book so sharing mothering advice seems daunting to me. I don’t have great discipline techniques or fun, crafty ideas, or cute recipes. I don’t have great advice for getting your kids to clean up their rooms or how to make them eat broccoli without bitter weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I can, however, write about each of these issues in such a way that we can all chuckle together at the hilarity of parenting. For example, while I can’t give you point by point advice on how to get your child to obey you immediately, I can tell you that yesterday, when I told Landon to give me the penny that he found and was playing with, he promptly shoved it in his mouth and swallowed it. Um – a little dangerous? Yes. A little funny? Uh-huh. Because I’m now on poop patrol to make sure that the penny passes.

I find that funny.

Moving on…I love to blog about the fun things that happen in our lives. Lee and I are so blessed – were blessed far beyond what I ever imagined we would be. We are not rich…but we are not poor. We have three healthy, beautiful, hilarious kids, a house that meets our needs, faithful and wise friends and we laugh every. single. day. Our life is wonderful.

And so I blog about it. I try to keep the blog light and fun, but OY! There’s pressure even in that. I find myself sitting at the computer, staring at a blank screen, begging myself to think of something funny to say. And sometimes I come up dry. So somedays I’m just not going to be funny. Somedays I don’t feel funny. Like today. Sorry.

There are other things I like to write about like, for example, politics. But we all saw how that went for me the last time I did it, so I try to keep my political ramblings to a minimum because I want my blog to be a happy place. There will be times when I share my views because, ahem, this is my blog. But, in general, I try not to go overboard with the politics.

Blogging is great. It’s fun, it gives me some sense that I’m pursuing my passion, I’m making a little money, I’m keeping a record of my children’s lives and I’m working out some of the kinks in my head. But I am also balancing the act of sharing the right amount of information. It is a delicate balance, but, so far, I think it’s going alright.

So what about you? How do you balance the art of sharing your lives without sharing too much?

Filed Under: Blogging, Family, funny stuff that happens, Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Landon, Life, Motherhood, Random, Sloan

Why do I do this to myself?

September 17, 2009 by Kelli

I’m tired. Not, gee-I-wish-I-could-catch-a-break-tired, since I, ahem, just had a break; but, I’m tired in a why-on-earth-do-I-not-get-my-duff-in-bed-earlier sort of way. In short, I’m fatigued.

In addition to going to bed way too late, about 4 nights per week, my sleep is interrupted by someone not feeling well, needing to go the bathroom, having a bad dream or any other sort of ailment you can imagine. And while I know this will happen, I still don’t manage to get myself to bed before 11:00 most nights.

Why do I do this to myself?

Part of the reason is that I’m just so happy to have alone, quiet time at nights that I relish in the quiet aloneness for much too long. Going to bed almost feels like defeat, like I’m surrendering. So instead, I power through, proving to whom, I’m not exactly sure, that I still have the independence to do what I want for how long I want.

Brilliant, I know.

On top of that, I’ve got a lot of work to do and I just can’t seem to get it done during the day – thus leaving the evenings. And I hate working in the evenings so it takes me twice as long to get anything done. My brain after 8:00 is like the egg in a frying pan – only I don’t need drugs to get there, just a prolonged period of short, interrupted sleep.

Then there’s the fact that I cannot sleep unless I’ve read for a little while. But again, I don’t get myself in bed until 10:00 or 10:30, which means the reading time pushes the sleep time back a little further (or a lot depending on the book).

So that leaves me in a jumbled mess of blah with circles under my eyes. Boo! Am I the only one who does this? Am I the only one who pushes herself to the limit simply because it’s the only time I really, truly have to myself in a day?

Tell me I’m not alone…

Filed Under: Life, Motherhood, Random

Wordless Wednesday: Carefree

September 16, 2009 by Kelli

Ribbons and curls

Laces and twirls

These are the dreams

Of sweet little girls.

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Filed Under: Kids, Motherhood, Tia, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: Wordless Wednesday

I filled my Word Quotient

September 15, 2009 by Kelli

The proverbial “they” say that on average women speak roughly 20,000-25,000 words per day while men speak anywhere from 8,000-12,000 per day.

Thus the importance for women to have good girl friends. Our husbands – they’re great. But, you know, we ladies need to have time to talk incessantly without the recipient of our conversation glazing over and slipping into a coma.

Thus the reason I love “rendezvous” weekends with my college girlfriends. I am blessed beyond measure to have friendships with ladies who are likeminded, funny, fashionable (they helped me out with my wardrobe this weekend) and who, no matter how long or how far apart we’ve been, can always fall right back into the same fun, loving friendship that dominated our years at Baylor.

I love these ladies.

I am positive that we fulfilled our daily talking quotient this weekend and we likely banked a few hundred thousand words. We talked from morning to the wee hours of the night, fully enjoying one another’s company. It felt as if time hadn’t passed by at all.

Never mind that between the five of us, we have 14 children. FOURTEEN. That actually gives us more to talk about! Yeah! I’ve known these women since I was 18. We shared so many dreams and hopes back in our college days and it’s so fun to see many of those dreams and hopes being realized and lived out daily. These relationships are unique and special and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Jillian, we missed you so much. There was a piece of our group noticably missing. Hopefully it will work out next year...

Upon returning home from my lovely weekend of movies, pedicures, massages, shopping and talking, I had a minor panic attack at all that needed to be accomplished in my sweet little home. First off, apparently the house threw up while I was gone. So, you know, I’ve got to deal with that.

Secondly, Tia started preschool yesterday and since I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t leave everything until the last minute, I was up half the night Sunday night searching for all the forms and information that I needed to give the school so she could officially start.

But doesn’t she look precious?

I’m finally able to sit down and do a bit of writing today and that’s a good thing because I am behind on several projects.

So today I will be hunkering down, trying to piece the house back together and tap, tap, tapping away on my trusty computer in the hopes of making a dent in the long To-Do list sitting on my desk.

Put up a post on my blog? Check!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Motherhood, Random, Tia Tagged With: Baylor friends

A Party in the Heavenlies

September 9, 2009 by Kelli

I don’t usually post twice in one day, and I certainly don’t have time to be doing this right now, but I can’t resist. Sloan accepted Jesus as his Savior today. And my heart is filled with all measure of joy.

When Sloan got off the school bus this morning, I could immediately tell we were in for a rough afternoon. He was just grouchy. And it took no time at all for him to end up in his room where he proceeded to throw a lovely little tantrum.

By the time lunch was over and the little kids were in bed, I was fried. I was completely done and fed up and I still had to discipline my very angry boy. After Sloan and I both calmed down, we sat to talk about his behavior. Sloan told me he was sorry and that he wished he would act better and he didn’t know why he did that.

“I know I shouldn’t yell and scream. Why do I do that?”

So we talked a little about sin and how our sin separates us from God. Then I explained to him that God gave us all forgiveness through his death on the cross, and when we acknowledge Jesus as our Savior and believe that He rose again and accepts us as we are, we can have eternal life.

We also talked about how we can pray and ask God to help us behave in a way that honors Him and in the way that we know is right.

After all this, Sloan asked me how he could ask Jesus into his heart, and he and I prayed together. And, I mean to tell you, the heavens themselves cracked open and splayed forth a song of praise within my heart.

I’ve prayed for a long time that my children would know God and that they would desire to grow in faith. I’ve also prayed that either Lee or I would be the ones to lead them to salvation. I wanted to be the one to rejoice with my child in that moment. I’m so grateful for this experience today.

Now, I realize that he’s only six and that there will be plenty more tantrums and discipline issues to come. I don’t expect him to fully understand this decision. But, I do believe that this is the start of his walk in his Christian faith. This is the moment when he grasped it with the faith of a child. As he matures, he will have to learn to make the faith that Lee and I impart to him his own.

But for now, I rejoice in the knowledge that my deepest longing for my child has come to fruition. It’s a beautiful moment.

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Life, Marriage, Ministry, Motherhood, Sloan

For the Love of Money – Part 2

September 9, 2009 by Kelli

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about our desire to better teach our children how to handle money. Last night we had the opportunity to reward Sloan for his patience and great attitude in working and saving his money.

For two weeks now, Sloan has done little chores around the house to earn extra dollars. He’s cleaned baseboards, taken out the trash, watered the flowers, cleaned the bathroom and a whole host of other household tasks.

Each time he got paid, he raced to his wallet and carefully counted out his earnings. The coveted toy cost $25.00, so he had to do quite a bit of work.

During this time, Sloan had a great attitude. He didn’t complain, he didn’t whine and beg for more money faster. He was brilliant. So Lee and I decided to help him out in his goal.

When he reached $20.00, we told him to take out three dollars and set it aside for savings. Then we had him give us two dollars to give to the church. We then gave him the last ten dollars he needed and we packed up last night and headed to the store where he got his beloved Star Wars doodad.

(He says it’s called a Nancho Fighter. I’m pretty sure that’s not right, but whatever it is, he’s very proud.)

Not to be left out, Tia has been saving money herself. Because she tends to, ahem, lose focus in just about any task she’s given, she didn’t earn quite the same amount as Sloan. But she did have ten dollars to spend, so after taking out a dollar for the church and two dollars for savings, we gave her enough to buy a princess jewelry set, of which she is equally proud.

This was a very fun way to help the kids learn money management. It also gave us a chance to teach them of God’s blessings on those who are good stewards of their finances. It was a good lesson for both kids and for Lee and I as well.

It was also good for my house as I now have clean baseboards for the first time in, well, a really long time. So, you know…Mama got a bonus too.

Filed Under: Kids, Motherhood, Sloan, Tia Tagged With: teaching kids to manage money

Three Ring Circus

September 8, 2009 by Kelli

I just ran downstairs after hearing my daughter screech, “MOOOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY!” only to find her dangling from the top of the door jam in the basement.

How did she get up there? I couldn’t tell you. But however she managed to get up, she couldn’t figure out how to come back down. And there she dangled, like a wild little monkey, screaming for help.

So I’m taking her in today to sign her up for gymnastics. I’ve thought about it for awhile, but this solidified for me the need to channel her energy, bravery and athleticism in a more productive way.

Or I will most definately die young of heart failure…

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Sloan went to bed with a rash all over his legs last night. It was little red dots all up his legs. I assume he is having a reaction to something, though I can’t imagine what it would be.

This morning when he was getting dressed, I noticed the rash was still there. “I wonder what that’s from?” I said.

“It’s because I’m allergic to racoons,” Sloan replied.

“Really? How do you know?” I asked.

Sloan shrugged. “These are just things I know, mom. I’m just that smart.”

So, you know – he’s having an allergic reaction to racoons. Why didn’t I think of that?

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While driving down to Arkansas, Lee turned into man-driver extraordinaire. Normally Lee is a fairly calm man-driver. Like any self respecting male, he does like to get to his destination without the hassle of those pesky pit stops, but he handles the occasional need for a bathroom break with great aplomb, patiently pulling over and waiting.

Unless, of course, we decide at the last minute to leave at 5:30 pm for a five and a half hour drive. It is then, and only then, that Lee turns into man-driver extraordinaire. The stops are few and far between. He does not deny anyone a bathroom break, of course, but he actually clapped his hands this trip.

As in, “Okay Tia, you gotta go fast baby. Go, go, go!” clap, clap, clap.

It was a race against the clock and you know what? Lee beat the clock. He won. We made excellent time. All because we powered through and did not stop unless the need was dire.

What a man!

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At one of the (very short) stops we made there were a group of Army soldiers, all decked out in their fatigues. This fascinated Sloan and he immeditaely proclaimed, in that fantastically boisterous voice of his, “Mom, look! Army guys! Hey Army guys!”

One of the men turned and waved back at Sloan who then gave him two thumbs up and said, “Don’t worry – I’m being good.”

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Finally, as I type this post, Tia and Landon are in the other room tormenting each other. I hear them. I know it’s happening. But I’m ignoring it. The screams aren’t blood curdling…yet.

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On the way home from our trip yesterday, Lee and I were discussing our dreams for our family. Places we want to go, things we want to do with the kids, etc…And we realized that it’s going to go by fast. This phase really doesn’t last long.

So although I may feel like I am the ringmaster in the three ring circus, I’m trying not to rush this motherhood thing. Ten years will go by fast. And when it does, I will no longer have a chubby little baby, slobbering on my hair as he hangs on my neck while I try and do some work.

The house will be quiet all day long. It sounds glorious…but it also sounds a little boring.

And now I’m off because the volume has escalated. It sounds like they are beating each other.

Let the show begin!!!

Filed Under: Family, funny stuff that happens, Kids, Motherhood, Sloan

The President’s Address to our Children

September 3, 2009 by Kelli

*update –Well that certainly got a little crazy yesterday, didn’t it? I had no idea I was opening such a large can of worms, but I am thankful to all of you who were supportive in your comments and who provided encouragement throughout the day. I’d also like to thank the last commenter, Katie, who gave a great example of how to respectfully disagree with someone. Well done!

Katie, I understand your point and would agree with you that there are probably a lot of children who don’t have the benefit of supportive and involved parents. But that does not mean, in my opinion, that the address should be broadcast directly into the classrooms. There are still ways that you could help ensure that all students have the opportunity to see the broadcast, without subjecting everyone to it. For example, schools could open up their buildings in the evenings and offer to show the broadcast to families together.

The fact of the matter is that parents have the right to know what’s going on and what’s being said in their children’s classrooms. No elected official should be allowed to take that right from us.

And as an update, I have heard from Sloan’s school. The broadcast will be made available to grades 3-5 only, so Lee and I feel comfortable sending Sloan to school on Tuesday. We will likely watch the broadcast on our own and we will decide whether or not we think Sloan needs to see it.

Thanks all for the colorful conversation yesterday! Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

I posted a status update on Facebook that got people talking yesterday and I wanted to expound on it more here. It has to do with my reluctance and discomfort with President Obama’s September 8 address to students. The President of the United States is going to be broadcast directly to students in the classrooms.

I had more than one person respond or email me asking me why in the world I would be uncomfortable with the President’s address to students. And my response is, why shouldn’t I be? Even if the President speaking to my child was a man I had personally voted for, I would still be vigilant about wanting to know what would be said to my child before, during and after such a broadcast.

My child is six years old. It is my job to be his advocate. It’s my duty to ensure that what he’s being fed at school matches with the morals, values and worldview that we share as a family. And, if what he hears doesn’t match with our viewpoint, then it’s my job to help him process the new information he’s received and filter it through the lens of his developing worldview.

And I don’t agree with the idea that by doing this we are brainwashing our child. We are protecting our child. We do not expect or hope that Sloan will be so sheltered that as he grows he’s unable to respect, hear or appreciate different viewpoints and opinions. On the contrary, we hope that by helping him establish and solidify his own worldview, he’ll better be able to understand and respect the differing views of others.

Obviously, if you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you know that we are conservative. Some would say extremely so. These conservative views are built upon our worldview, which has been established upon Biblical principles, which we believe wholeheartedly and passionately.

That being said, I have no problem at all with my child being encouraged to enjoy learning and education. I don’t see anything wrong with him setting goals and having dreams about his future. I want him to be excited about learning and education. I DO have a problem, however, with the President of the United States being live-streamed into my child’s classroom without me knowing what exactly he’s going to say, or how any discussion before or after will take place.

I have already called Sloan’s school and spoken with the Prinicpal’s assistant about my concerns and was informed that at this point, they aren’t sure if they are required to show the address by the school board, but if they are, parents likely won’t be asked to join. But, we have the option of having Sloan leave the classroom if we want.

I’m not sure it will be necessary for Sloan to leave the classroom, but Lee and I will be spending some time researching this over the weekend and praying about what we should do. I was told that teachers would be encouraged not to discuss the address – at least at the kindergarten level, but how would I know?

I take issue with this for several reason, the biggest being that I don’t think it’s the President’s business to show up directly in the classroom. If he wants to speak directly to students, great. I think he should do it. But I think it should be done in the evening, on a national broadcast, when parents and children can sit down together and watch. Because, in my opinion, education should start in the home.

Now, the fact of the matter is, I don’t agree with President Obama on a lot of levels and on many issues. I feel like he’s trying to take our country down a path that’s unhealthy and over-governed. I don’t want my President involved in every aspect of my life and I certainly don’t want him coming into the classroom, talking to my child when I’m not there. While I want my children to learn about civics and about how democracy works, political science, I don’t want them being schooled in politics at school.

Finally, I’ve read the press release to teachers, encouraging them to talk with their students. I certainly don’t have a problem with teachers helping children focus on their dreams and goals in education, but I don’t think our children need to be told the story of Obama’s upbringing, his background and so on and so forth. While Obama deserves our respect as our elected leader, he does not need to be placed on so high of a pedestal that our children think of him as a super hero. He deserves our respect, certainly, but not our worship. Is his story inspirational? Sure. But we need to be careful on how much we elevate a fallible man.

So we’ll see what we decide about Tuesday. I imagine we’ll send Sloan to school and allow him to see the broadcast. I am trusting that the teachers at the kindergarten level won’t being facilitating any kind of political discussion. And I will watch the broadcast at home so that later, in the safety of our home, Lee and I can openly discuss with Sloan his dreams, goals and passions for his education.

I realize that there are many who don’t agree with my concern on this matter and I’m okay with that. I’m glad we can have differing opinions and I don’t stand in judgement on those who choose to think differently. But I do take my job as Sloan’s mother seriously, and I have to do what I feel is best for MY child. And each of you has to do what you feel is best for your children. We all share that responsilibity and acountability. And that’s something I know we can agree on.

Filed Under: Family, Motherhood, politics Tagged With: The PResidents address to students

On the Homefront

August 25, 2009 by Kelli

I was a little late in getting my requests out to the people I want to feature this week so I’m still gathering the information I need for the rest of the features. I was planning on this being my last post of the week, but I’ve decided to post it today in order to keep up the Missions Week flow.

Perhaps the most important mission any of us will ever experience is that of parenthood. Now, I realize that not everyone who reads this blog is a parent, but a majority of you are, or will be someday.

I am living my mission field every single day. And while I have deep desires to be more involved in missions outside of my home (and, truthfully, outside of my country) for now, this is where God has me.

Lee and I work really hard to support one another as the missionaries of our own little battlefield. And I call it that because every day we are waging a spiritual battle for our children. We are their intercessors at this point in their tiny lives.

Well, and also because, if you’ve spent any time with Sloan and Tia you know that it really can feel like an actual battlefield around here. They are the best of friends, but oooh m’goodness…

Each morning, before he leaves for work, Lee prays over our children. He speaks blessing over them. And he rarely forgets. Unless he has to leave the house before they wake up, he blesses them before walking out the door.

The kids have come to so expect and look forward to this that on the rare mornings when Lee forgets or is in a rush, they remind him to bless them before leaving.

It looks a little like this:

Summer '09 146

Summer '09 147

The reason I don’t have a shot of him praying over Sloan is because the day I took these, Sloan had already left for school.

Lee and I are working hard to establish in our children the idea that there really is no place like home. We want them to know that home is safe, home is a place where they will experience blessing and love. We want them to know that no matter what happens in life, they can always return to the comfort of home.

As Laura Ingalls said in the first episode of Little House on the Prairie, “Home is the nicest word there is.”

Season 1, Episode 1 – Harvest of Friends…Yes, I’m a geek, but didn’t that little bit of TV knowledge fit perfectly with what I’m trying to say today? You. are. welcome.

Aaaaanyhooo…

I’m so thankful for a husband who is willing to take his role as leader of our family seriously. Praying blessing over our children is not something that comes naturally to me. I have a hard time with it and so I am grateful for my husband, who so naturally speaks the blessings of God over our children.

His prayers over them usually go something like this:

Lord, I pray for Sloan today. I pray that you reign down your blessings upon him – that you go before him as he goes about his day. I pray that he would know how loved he is today, not just by his family, but by you, God. I pray that you would give him a spirit of peace and of obedience. I pray that he would be a leader in his class today. Lord, we thank you for Sloan and the blessing he is in our lives…

And that’s all there is to it. It takes less than a minute, but the impact is eternal.

I would encourage all of you to take the time in your days to speak blessings over your children. If, like me, it doesn’t come naturally, then I urge you to pray for them on your own. We are in a time and age when our children’s generation could potentially suffer greatly. We need to be paving the way ahead of them with our faithful prayers.

So today’s mission focus is the family. May you all be encouraged…

Filed Under: Family, Heritage, Kids, Ministry, Missions Weeks, Motherhood Tagged With: Little House on the Prairie, Missions Week

For the love of money

August 21, 2009 by Kelli

Thanks to everyone who participated in the conversation yesterday regarding vaccinations. It’s an important topic and I’m glad people are talking about it. And thanks for being so respectful of one another and of the differing opinions. It was nice to read the different perspectives without feeling any tension. You guys are great!

On Wednesday, I took the kids to Target to buy Tia a new stroller for her baby dolls. An overzealous neighbor boy broke hers and I promised her a new one if she did a good job getting her ears cleaned out. And since she didn’t scream (thank you Vercet), she got the much coveted stroller.

Sloan had seven dollars in his wallet. Lee and I don’t give the kids an allowance, but on occasion we reward them for work they do around the house, particularly when that work is done from a serving heart.

And, oh my, that seven bucks was burning a hole in his pocket. So, after picking out the perfect baby stroller, we headed to the Star Wars isle. Did you know there is little to nothing you can buy for seven dollars?

Sloan found the toy he really wanted, but it is 25 dollars. So he put it down and looked around and said, “Well, I guess I’ll just buy something I don’t really want because I’m ready to spend my money.”

At that moment, a huge light went off over our heads and a voice blared over the loudspeaker, TEACHABLE MOMENT, TEACHABLE MOMENT!!!!

Okay, not really. But wouldn’t it be nice if that happened?

I did however, get down on Sloan’s level and explain to him the wisdom in saving his money so that he could buy the thing he really wanted.

“But that will take too long,” he protested.

It took a little convincing, but I finally helped him understand that waiting and working to earn the money for something he wanted would be better than wasting his money on something he didn’t really want. What a lesson, huh? I need to remember that myself sometimes.

So, we came home, Sloan’s back pocket still burning with unspent dollars. Last night, Sloan rushed to his room and “cleaned” it up – which means he tossed all the loose toys into the closet and shoved the door closed. Because that’s how we roll in the Stuart house…

“Can I have a dollar?” he asked. Sound the alarm! TEACHABLE MOMENT, TEACHABLE MOMENT!!!

“Son, did you do that because it needed to be done, or because you wanted money?” Lee asked.

“Because I wanted money,” Sloan replied oh so honestly.

Lee then tried to explain to Sloan that there are certain things we do because we’re supposed to. But I could see Sloan get more and more dejected and confused, and I could understand why. You see, once, maybe twice, we have given him money for cleaning his room. It wasn’t because he cleaned his room, but because his heart was so pure and sweet and we were rewarding him for that. But we obviously didn’t do a good job explaining that to him, so I could see why he would feel frustrated with us last night. But then it got worse…

“I LOVE money, though. I just want it so bad!” he cried.

Yikes. We have some training to do. Teaching kids the proper way to think about and handle money is a little daunting. While Lee and I don’t spoil our children by any means, we are blessed to be able to provide them with not only comforts, but special privileges as well. We try to make them aware of the fact that Lee and I work hard for our money and we work to spend it in the proper manner.

I know as they grow older, there will be more opportunity to have a discourse over how and where it is wise to spend money, but we want to start training them now.

We also talked with Sloan about giving a portion of the money he earns back to God as a tithe. Oh, he was not happy to hear that. We had a lot of discussion about it this morning.

What are some things you’ve done to train your children in finanaces and the responsiblity that comes with money? Nicole, could you leave the name of the piggy bank you guys use in the comments? I would like to get one of those.

I think it’s important to not only model to our children the correct way to spend, save and give money, but also to give them the opportunity to practice. So Lee and I are working on some projects that Sloan can do around the house to earn more money. Today, I’m going to have him and Tia wipe down all the baseboards in the house. Which, wow – I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this earlier! I hate cleaning baseboards! Is it bad that I’m excited about the benefits of teaching this life lesson? Ahem.

So, please, help me out. What are some ways we can teach our children to be responsible in earning, saving, spending and giving money? What are practices that have been effective for you?

Filed Under: discipline, Kids, Motherhood, Sloan