Help
With Your Rule
Did I Blow It?
Dear Holly,
Thanks so much for your excellent workshop (Teacher's Tips for Homeschool Parents) at the Minnesota Catholic Home Educators Conference. I have had your book, A Mother's Rule of LIfe, for a year, and it made a big difference. Hearing you talk was a wonderful boost for me. My question after was regarding my daughter's doing the "class clown" act during our school time this year. In a few weeks, we've made some good progress, but I worry about our past mistakes. She is 10. Have I ruined her for life or can we look at them as learning experiences and move on to better things and times?
Labels: 4th P Parent
posted by Holly at 2:20 PM
1 Comments:
When I was teaching, one of the things I learned was that children want attention - personal attention - and they are going to get it any way they can - by being super-achievers right down to being discipline problems.
So, we give them our love, our personal attention, our acceptance and joy in their person, our tenderness in eyes and touch and voice - and we need to have the mental space and time to do this, not be so busy about everything else that we have no time to 'be' with them.
We all make mistakes, and if these mistakes were final strikes against us, who could ever enter heaven even? I think that we can just pick up where we are, move on, pray for God's healing to make up for our own ignorance in our actions or words, apologize in a heart-felt conversation to our children if we have hurt them - and then - work out our lives so that we have the time and mental space and heart freedom to love them.
Your daughter is 10. You have another 8 years at home to show her how special and precious she is. The only damage done will be if you don't learn from your mistakes and continue in any negative patterns. Eight more years at home in the midst of a loving family who cherishes her - what a gift this will be. And it will be formative as she looks back through her adolscent years - and says - "Mummy was always there for me..." "I know in my heart that Mummy loves loves loves me..."
Put the past in God's hands. Live the moment. Set your face toward the future. All is not lost!!!
Post a Comment
<< Home