What a Character!!
Oh, come on, we’ve all had this happen: You are at a wonderful homeschool event, a nice field trip, park day, play day, etc. You are enjoying the day with other homeschool moms and kids, when you notice a ruckus developing out of the corner of your eye. Fairly soon, all attention is on a particular child who is behaving badly like, well, a wild "hooligan". You think, "Well, someone sure needs to work on behavior training. Thank the Lord that my children KNOW how to behave!" Then you stop, AGHAST—shock pervades your face, your mouth drops open, your eyes bulge, and the color drains from your face. You think, "Lord help me, that little "hooligan" is MY CHILD!! Noooo, that can’t be my sweet little precious baby!!" Wake up call!! Time for some character training. After all, good Godly character is one of the most important things we wish to instill in our children, it also happens to be one of the most ongoing, trying, and challenging. But with God’s help and a "game plan," it can be done.
#1 PRAYER-
First and foremost, we need the heart of the Lord. Our help comes from Him and only He knows what is in the heart of each child and what they need.#2 THE WORD-
There is no substitute for the living, breathing, Word of God. Read it with your children everyday (as a family is best). Talk about the stories. Study the Ten Commandments and Proverbs. The Lord will show you where to start, make it a priority.#3 CHARACTER BUILDING CURRICULUM OR DEVOTIONALS-
There are several good ones available on homeschool websites such as CBD.com or Visionforum.com. These are great resources as they typically cover units on various character traits such as patience or self control using modern day stories and fun exercises. Remember, though, this should be used only in conjunction with and after reading The Word.#4 REAL LIFE EXAMPLES-
Use different incidents in your child’s life or ones that you observe, to work through character issues. "What should you have done better here?" "What is a Godly way to handle this situation?" Don’t approach it in a judging way but in a way realizing we all need help.#5 EXAMINE THYSELF-
Are you exhibiting Godly character traits in your life? If we aren’t striving for them as parents, how can we expect it of our children? With God’s help, we can focus in on various character issues in our lives and our children’s lives. We are all fallible and imperfect. We, as a Support Group, can pray for each other—we ALL need it!!And, the next time you’re at an event and you see a "ruckus" developing, you cringe, look over, but then breathe a sigh of relief that—this time—it’s not your child in the center. But then, when you see the other mom, face white with horror, realizing that it’s her sweet little precious baby—Look at her, smile, and wink—saying, "I know what you’re going through, and I’m praying for you, sis!!"
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Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. " 2 Timothy 2:14-16 NASB"
Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matthew 7:1-3 KJVBlessings, Lyndi Ruzicka Dan and Lyndi Ruzicka are our DCHEA leaders for 2005-06.