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My mother was a wealth of knowledge. After she passed away, one of the things I did was sit down and try to remember and write down all of the life lessons she had taught me before I forgot them. However, they were so ingrained in me that there was no possible way for me to forget all that I had learned from her.

If you have gotten to know me well, personally or through the blog, one of the things you have noticed is that having a clean/orderly house is important to me. Today's post, More Lessons From Mom will probably shed some insight as to why that is.

Having a Safety Word

This our final installment in the series on "Safety Measures". There is so much for us to do in teaching and training our children, but hopefully this week has given you some ideas on what to go over with them.

Today we are going to go over the "Safety Word" and practicing with our children how they should respond in any given situation.

The purpose of a "safety word" is to keep your child from falling for the "your mother asked me to get you for her..." scam. This is a word that you, your spouse, and your child(ren) know, but no one else does (you never want anyone slipping and sharing the word around) unless an emergency comes up and you need someone unexpected to get your child for you. You would tell this person the word, and when they get your child, your child should know to only go with  them if they say the "safety word". Depending on your level of trust with the people in your circle, you may need to change this word periodically. 

Now, obviously, there are some people who do not need to use this word when getting your child, unless your situation is very complicated, then everyone should need to use this word. Addie has been told who does not need to use the special word. When reviewing our word, I will ask her who does not need to use the word. She then lists off who does not need to use it. Then I'll ask her "what if so-and-so (extended family and friends) comes to get you?" and she responds with, "They have to use the special word."

Have you ever gone over with your child what they need to do if someone tries to physically grab your child? This is also very important to practice with your child, not to induce fear but so that they can respond in the moment without panicking. For my own children's safety, I will not be going over specifics of what I have taught them, but your child should be taught what to yell so people around them will realize that your child in not throwing a tantrum but is in danger. They should also be taught what to do if their mouth is covered.

Sadly, we live in a time when children can't live as carefree as they once could. As parents, we must provide our children with the information they need in order for them to be safe. 

Safety Measures: Policemen (Civil Servants) Are Our Friends

We are continuing our series on Child safety measures. On Tuesday, we discussed 911 and the information our children need to know, yesterday I posted on the Facebook page a link to an "old"  post I wrote on "weeding" out things in our children's lives that can actually cause problems for us and them down the road, and today we will be talking about civil servants.

Read Romans 13:1-7. 

Sadly, we live in a time when the lawman is not viewed with the respect that he once was. He is given degrading nicknames and treated with disdain rather than the honor and respect that his badge has earned him. We are irritated with that officer that pulls us over for speeding or running a red light, and then we expect our children to view these men and women as a safety zone when they find themselves in trouble.

Concerning our civil servants, the Bible says, "For civil authorities are not a terror to [people of] good conduct, but to [those of] bad behavior. Would you have no dread of him who is in authority? Then do what is right and you will receive his approval and commendation." Romans 13:3 AMP.

There are several things we need to teach our children concerning our civil servants for their own safety.

1. They need to know that those in uniform are safe. We need to teach our children that our civil servants, especially policemen, are here to protect those of us who follow the law and to catch and protect us from those who don't. We need to speak repectfully of and to these men and women because our attitudes transfer to our children. 

2. Become familiar with them as a family. Our church has police officers that patrol our grounds during services. They do not just stay in the squad car but walk in and out of the buildings. When we happen to see one of them walking by, I try to make a point of introducing the kids. I then explain to them infront of the officer that if they ever have to call 911, he/she will come help them (not speaking of the particular officer but the uniform). The officer tends to smile, agree, and remind the kids (Addie) how to dial 911.  We have been to restaurants while an officer is having lunch. We approach their table, I thank them for their service to our community, and many times they engage in conversation with me and Addie.

During the summer our local police department hosts a safety camp for a full week for children 6-12. It is a great way for children to become familiar on a very friendly level with these civil servants. 

3. Show your child that civil servants are real people. Because of my work in the classroom before becoming a mom and my volunteering at church, I have had the opportunity to meet many officers and fire fighters through their children. From church alone, I can count a handful of these civil servants. Because of this, we make a point of telling Addie that so-and-so's daddy or mommy is a police officer, that Daddy's friend is a policeman, that Mommy and Daddy are going to a wedding and there is going to be a policeman there, that so-and-so's neighbor is a policeman, and that there is a policeman living around the corner from us. 

By making these officers "real" to our children, our children become even less intimidated by the uniform and are more likely to reach out to them when they need help. It also gives them someone to pray for, and puts a real face to the uniform.

4. Show them appreciation with your children in tow. The holiday season is a wonderful time to show our appreciation to our civil servants. Making cards for them, bringing cookies, and saying thank you is a great way for our children to learn respect for our civil servants and to see them smile. And, really, what is better than seeing a man or woman in uniform smiling?

Our children need to know, in more than just words, that our civil servants- police officers and fire fighters- are approachable and have chosen to be protectors of our citizens. They need to know that God has these men and women here to protect us. They are official servants under God. (Romans 13:6) 

Safety Measures: 911 and Other Important Information They Need to Know

This weekend as we were welling up with pride while watching our daughter perform her VBS songs with the other 398 children who went through our church's VBS week, another mother was experiencing the heartache that no parent should ever feel.

Sadly, it is in hearing reports like this that we evaluate the safety measures we have for our own children. Do we have safety measures? What are they? Do our children even know what they are?

Many times we have well planned safety measures and plans for our children but we become too busy with everything else to actually go over them with our children.

This week, we are going to be discussing safety methods to work on with our children, and hopefully we can make a conscious effort to spend a little time each day this week talking with our children about them and practicing them. 

Before we talk about anything, let's remember that as parents, our first line of defense for our children is prayer. We need to cover them in prayer because no one can protect them as well as God can. The Word of God tells us that He will encamp His angels around us to protect and defend us (Psalm 91:11 & 34:7) and that the angels for our children have complete access to the Father (Matthew 18:10). 

Today we are going to discuss some important information that our children need to learn early and need to practice often.

911 is a simple number that is easy to learn and easy to push on a phone.

During our designated school time, Addie and I would practice reciting a whole host of information and we would also practice dialing 911 on each of the phones in the house. It was important to me that Addie could find a way to reach the phones even if they were out of reach. She learned how to move a dining room chair to the kitchen, climb up to reach the phone in its holster above the counter and dial the number. We never actually hit "dial", but she would pretend to in order to demonstrate that she knew which button to push to complete the call.

Also important for our children to know is their full name (how to spell it if they are old enough), address, and phone number to at least one parent's phone. In our family, we chose to have Addie learn our Google phone number instead of each individual number. The Google number will simultaneously ring all of the phone numbers we have listed under that one number. 

Small children, like Ian, cannot do any of the above. Yet we do not need to leave them helpless with no way to help themselves in case of emergency. There are many ways to give these little ones the information they need in order for them to be helped in case of an emergency,

1. Write the phone number on their hand. This past week during our VBS, a little boy came to our church for the very first time. His family didn't know anyone, and although his contact information was filed in our church's office, his mother wanted to make sure that we had easy access to it as soon as we needed it. She decided to write her phone number right on his hand in pen. It is easily washable when the need for it is over, but it is in the perfect spot for quick calling if necessary.

 

2. Have an information bracelet made. This is an easy-to-make bracelet made with beads so that your child's emergency contact number can easily be found without them needing to have it memorized.

 

3. The information label. This is the perfect idea for any parent with small children. God forbid, in the case of an accident, and you are unable to give helpful information to emergency workers, there is still a way for them to be able to help your children. Be sure to include your child's full name, their birthday, your name and phone number, your husband's information, and the information of one or two other emergency contacts, and any allergies that your child may have. This is something that you will want to put in a place in your vehicle that can be seen by those who need to see it, but not visible to the rest of the world.

God has given us these gifts (Psalm 127:3) and it is our responsibility to care for and protect them to the best of our ability.

For more posts related to children's safety, check the following posts:

1. Drill, Baby, Drill

2. Addie's View

Life Lessons | Leah

Growing up, I never cared much for the Biblical character Leah.

When you read the Bible's account in Genesis of how Jacob and Rachel fell in love and then on their wedding day, the switch happens and Leah has the wedding that Rachel and Jacob had looked forward to for 7 years (which as an adult I realized wasn't Leah's fault), it is easy for the romantic side of us to resent this poor woman who was forced into this situation by the custom of her time.

Addie and I had been reading through The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every story whispers His name, and came to the story of Leah. I found it odd that her story would be put into this Bible for kids until I read the selection for the day.... and then I fell in love with this character in the Bible that I had resented since my teen age years (when you are single and waiting for "the one", anyone who interrupts a "love story" naturally gets resented).

The chapter began with the title "The Girl No One Wanted." We know that the Bible describes Rachel as being lovely in form and beautiful, and Leah as having weak eyes. Many times we assume that means that Leah was not beautiful at all. And because she was still single, we could also assume that no one had ever chosen to love her.

From reading the account in the Bible, we also learn that her own husband didn't love her. He just fulfilled his husbandly duties towards her, but his heart was with Rachel. Even when they were facing possible danger (meeting Esau after many years), Jacob put Leah and her children in front of Rachel and Joseph to give Rachel and Joseph a better opportunity to escape from harm.

We can imagine the feelings Leah may have felt. The hurt. The resentment. The bitterness. The sorrow. The following is taken from the Jesus Storybook Bible.

     "No one loves me," Leah said. "I'm too ugly."
     But God didn't think she was ugly. And when he saw that Leah was not loved and that no one wanted her, "god chose her- to love her specially, to give her a very important job. One day, God was going to rescue the whole world- through Leah's family.
     Now when Leah knew that God loved her, in her heart, suddenly it didn't matter anymore whether her husband loved her the best, or if she was the prettiest. Someone had chosen her, Someone did love her- with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

(excerpt taken from the Jesus Storybook Bible)

 

 

Wow! To think that God chose Leah over Rachel. Judah was one of Leah's sons, and he is the son through which Jesus eventually came into the world. I love that God looks beyond our outward appearances. He does not judge us based on what the general consensus is. He bases His love for us on..... His love for us.

 

I am left in awe..........

Working......

Addie has always had jobs to do around our home. But as our schedule gets a little fuller, Mommy is a little busier with a little boy who is very mobile at this point, and homeschooling goes from summer flexibility into fall steadiness, Addie has had to become a little more responsible for her jobs.

As I have been reading Child Wise by Gary Ezzo and discussing the principles with Brian that I can see working in our family and home, the idea of working and earning has really come to the forefront for us.

As a little girl, I had jobs to do, charts to fill out, and prizes that I could earn for filling out so many chore charts. I will never forget the little "pop doll" set that my mother bought and put on the top shelf of her closet. The little dolls had flat backs and dresses that "popped" right on them from the front. The set looked like a little mall and all of the dresses had little spots that they hung on when the dolls weren't wearing them.

Because it was a bigger type of toy, it took a long time for me to earn it. I don't remember how long.... I just remember that it was long.

The point of the lesson was that we have to work for and earn what we wanted.

Addie's favorite show on TV is "Doc McStuffins" on the Disney Junior channel. She has decided that she wants to be a doctor (she has been pretty serious about this for some time now) and that she needs a doctor's kit.

So she has been working.....

......and earning little "chips" on her chore chart so she can earn her doctor's set. She needs to earn 150 chips, which will take her about 4 weeks. At the end of that time, we will take her to the store so she pick out the doctor's set that she wants (after all, she is earning it).

Her jobs are:

• Get dressed
• Brush teeth
• Make the bed
• Clear her are on the table
• Put clothes away
• Put toys away
• No whining

She is one excited little girl! She does her jobs and checks to see that we are watching her. She shouts, "I get a chipmunk!" and runs to her chart to put up her chip. Then we hear about how she is going to get a doctor's set.

Progressively, her jobs will get harder as she gets older and as Ian grows and is able to take over the simpler tasks she currently has, and he will learn the value of work. Already, as we watch Brian leave in the morning, I tell Ian, "Daddy goes to work so Mommy can stay home with you and Addie. One day, you will go to work and earn money to provide for your family just like Daddy does."

It is never too early to teach our children the value of work.

No Matter What People Do.....

......trust God!

I, unfortunately, tend to be the kind of person who holds things in, holds on to hurts, replays hurtful words spoken by others (and retells them to Brian), and think of what I could have said instead of just standing there smiling like the words didn't affect me at all.

This past week, Addie has gone to VBS at my aunt's church. Because Brian was out of town almost the entire week, I stayed and listen to the group lessons, mingled with the other ladies, and took walks with Bud around the church property.

One evening, the lesson theme was "No matter what people do.... trust God!"

The youth pastor and his assistant did a skit where the assistant was hurt by lies that were told about him, and he was holding on to the hurts and words said. The youth pastor then went on to tie balloons on the assistants arms and legs for all of the hurts he was holding on to. One of the songs the kids had been learning was then played and the young man was asked to do the choreography.

He couldn't.

The balloons were in his way, getting him tangled up, and making it impossible for him to move normally.

It was a great illustration for me and lesson that I have to let go of hurts, words, and the resulting bitterness that grows in my heart because I hold on to these things. By holding on to these feelings, my relationship with God is hindered, and I am not as effective in my role as a wife and mother.

Easier said than done. I know.

And so the growing process continues......

Life Lessons

About three weeks ago, Ian got his first cold. I was a bit upset about it because he is so little.

I was upset with the person who was not courteous enough to warn us that her children were sick.

I was upset that her children knew they were sick and breathed all over my baby anyway.

I was upset that I am so careful about not exposing others to our germs and the same courtesy was not shown to us.

And then we went to Ian's follow up appointment yesterday, and God had another "Suzette-wake-up!" moment with me..... I've been getting those a lot lately (when will I learn!).

While Ian was being weighed on the scale beside the open door of one of the exam rooms, the nurse asked why the couple inside was there with their 11 month old, and the mother began.

"She has a tumor in her leg and we have a scheduled surgery. She has started trying to walk, and we noticed that her feet don't flex out when she stands on them. We wanted the doctor to take a look at her."

Suddenly, our little chest cold didn't seem like such a big deal.

We walked back to our exam room, and I felt so ashamed. Here I was, internally making a big deal over someone else's insensitivity, and these other parents had a real problem.

And, of course, when God gives you a moment of correction, He always comes back with a soft comfort..... and that Parental raised eyebrow that expects you to say what you know He's waiting to hear.

"Lord, I'm sorry for being so upset at __________. Thank you that Ian's cold wasn't that bad. Thank you that he never had runny nose to interfere with his nursing. Thank you that he never had a real fever. Thank you that he was never grumpy or moody while he was sick. Thank you that he never lost his appetite. Thank you that the medication he was given began acting immediately. Thank you that his chest cold did not turn into bronchitis or asthma. Thank you that Addie did not catch what he had."

Sometimes, I wonder when I will outgrow these lessons and corrections. But then I am reminded that He only corrects those who belong to Him. I'm glad I belong to Him.