for the children...

A few weeks ago our pastor did a sermon about parenting. The center of the topic was about reaching your child's heart in all areas of parenting. Regarding discipline he said that we can force our children into submission, or tell them they're going to obey; you know what I'm talking about - "I'm the mom, that's why" - but if I don't actively reach their hearts, trying to turn the situation into a "heart issue" then long term there will be problems. Since then, it's been my goal (our goal), when I speak to my children I'm trying to remember to be conscious of this. Obviously, most of the time I'm lacking horribly, but I'm really trying to get down to their level and look into their little faces and communicate with their hearts.

Yesterday, for some reason we had been talking about children who have to be in the hospital for an extended length of time. Later I found Havalah at the art table making drawing after drawing after drawing. I asked her about them and she said that they were for the children (at the hospital). She went on to tell me that she like to take them to the hospital and let the staff hand them out to the kids who might need some cheering up. This was just her little way of making someone's day better. Her heart "saw" the need and she met it in a way she knew she could. So far she can't decide if she'd like to take them over to Children's Hospital or to our local hospital. I'm leaving it up to her. Since then Henry's jumped on board and now we have quite a few pictures..."for the children, mommy." :)