As parents, we long for our children to be the best they can be but are we hindering them from becoming that by doing things for them and giving things to them constantly? Why do we try so hard to make their lives easy? How can they grow up to be strong adults if we are consistently treating them like children rather than helping them find the strengths God has gifted them with to use serving the world which includes their very own family? Our role as parents is to teach, not to do for. If we don't change our ways as parents, giving our children more responsibilities, not rescuing them every time things don't go exactly as hoped, allowing them to determine our family schedules, and manipulating circumstances to insure our children's success just to name a few, we are simply raising a generation who wishes to be served rather than serve nor ever reaches their full potential. Who is at fault? In the instance of my own children, I am!
I don't know about you, but I want my children to be productive, responsible citizens with a strong work ethic and think of others first rather than thinking the world revolves around them. I hope I have been successful but only time will truly tell. Kay Wills Wyma in Cleaning House: A Mom's 12-month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement offers good, practical suggestions to help me (and you if your goals are similar) accomplish my goal. There were no earth-shattering WOW kind of suggestions. Just good practical tips and reminders. Mrs. Wyma decided there were twelve essential skills her children needed before leaving home, and she was determined they would have those skills by introducing a new task each month that would help them reach their full potential. While she doesn't consider her job complete after the 12 months passed, she feels that her "experiment" was well worth her time and gained her far more than her children simply knowing how to cook and clean, run errands, get a job, complete odd jobs around the house, and host a party. The book isn't at all about her children learning to do things for themselves so that she didn't have to. She desires to prepare them for adulthood and the real world. The added benefits of having a more close knit family, confidence, creativity.... perhaps even outweigh the essential skills. To read the first few pages, see
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307730670/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img#reader_B007WKFM7C.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Wyma's book. Her humor and wit are evident and makes it an easy and fun read. I do wish I had the opportunity to employ some of her ideas years ago but perhaps it isn't too late. After all, my kids are home for the summer! We might just have to complete the crash course and introduce one task a week!
I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to leave a positive review.
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