Tag Archives: kids

The Power In A Name

Job and Lizze

My whole life I wanted to be a mother. I cared for my one baby doll as if it were a child. My desire for mothering was intense. After the formalities of getting a college education and a husband were precluded I set my sights on the biggest longing of my heart… a child.

After years of infertility, my husband and I struggled with how we would grow our family. The choices of more infertility treatments and adoption were both viable and expensive. It was during this time that the question was posed to me, Continue reading →

I Want A Forever Family

When I hear the words Forever Parents it brings up warm feelings of family , love, and perseverance.

In May of 2002 Lizzie became part of our forever family. Many parents who have been blessed to have added children to their family through adoption celebrate the day their child officially takes their last name.

In our case it was our second adoption. Having adopted Job eighteen months earlier we were familiar with the adoption proceedings and formalities. But this adoption was different. Continue reading →

Cycles Of Abuse Can Be Ended

A conversation with a friend of mine recently caused me to look back on my childhood and, once again, marvel at the blessings that I experienced. Both of my parents were in abusive situations growing up, ranging from moderate to severe treatment by their abusers. Statistically, it would be reasonable to expect that my siblings and I would have been treated similarly. Continue reading →

Teeth: A Necessary Evil

When I was a little girl, the frequent visits to the dentist didn’t bother me too much. The laughing gas was fun, at least at first. I didn’t truly appreciate the severity of a cavity or a filling. As I grew into an early teen, I started to dread the dentist and would forgo the laughing gas because it made me sick to my stomach. It wasn’t like I neglected my teeth; I didn’t. Continue reading →

Teaching Appreciation

One of the life skills we all want to teach our kids is none other than “appreciation.” We start with drilling “thank you” into their heads as soon as they can start talking, we remind them on a regular basis how fortunate and blessed they are with the things they have, and in the end, we hope we’ve raised a respectful and appreciative person when the rearing years are over.

Before we had kids, hubby and I did it to each other without even knowing it… appreciation for the other, that is. I lived on my own for 7 years before we got married, and his was 8 months (better than nothing). We did our own laundry, worked full time, and took turns cooking.

After all those years, now came the time for roles to change after our first son was born. I became a stay-at-home Mom and my appreciation comes when he gets up for work to support the family. I know what that’s like since I worked for 11 years before our son was born. I totally appreciate his hard work.

The laundry, however, is another story. I should do his laundry since it’s really part of my wifely duty, but I’ve chosen not to. Due to that decision, he does appreciate it more when I do pitch in and help him. Bingo!!

For some reason laundry is the center of this post, and I didn’t mean for it to be. Oh well.

Now my boys are 5, 7, & 9. All old enough to fold and put their clothes away as far as I’m concerned. So the past year I’ve washed and dried their laundry and occasionally when they got home from school there was a pile on the floor to sort, fold, and put away. Needless to say they were none to happy about it, but did it anyway.

For the first time after a year I took the time to wash, dry, sort, and fold their laundry. Each had a basket full of folded clothes to put away when they got home. I was caught off guard by their reaction, which was . . “Thanks Mom!!” The “thanks Mom” came from realizing how much work it is and that I did a majority of it for them. Hum I taught a lesson in appreciation and didn’t even plan it!

I wonder what other tricks I can come up with and get the same reaction, as well as a sigh that I did a good job as a Mom.

by City Chic On A Farm

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Photo graciously provided by woodleywonderworks , through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved