You want a hint? …it’s got something to do with…nope I can’t say it, it’ll be too obvious and spoil the fun. Give it a shot, and leave me a comment with your guess!
Who knows, you might get a special something from me if you get it right! 
Read also:
How do you tell where your priorities are? It’s pretty obvious isn’t it? Just look at the things that we spend our time on.
As a parent, naturally the bulk of my time is spent on all things kids-related, including home-learning activities and erm, blogging, which is all about the kids anyway.
Then there’s work, maintenance-related activities such as household chores, leisure activities (blogging can fall under this as well), and faith-related stuff like going to church, daily devotions, etc.
I recently read this post by Focus on the Family titled ‘Five minutes with the Bible’, and it struck me that while I’ve been diligent in scheduling nap times, bath times, meal times, and bedtime, I haven’t been quite as disciplined in scheduling bible time with Vera.
I recall that when she was between 18-24 months, she was really keen on us reading her kiddy bible together. It’s My Good Night Bible, a hand-me-down from one of her cousins. I actually quite like this bible, as the stories are well-illustrated and easy to read, and every story comes with a short prayer as well.
But a couple of months and some new books later, she stopped asking to read it. I guess she grew to love other books, and we too haven’t been nudging her back to it enough.
Then she saw her daddy doing devotion one morning, and she immediately ran to take her bible out, plonked herself down beside him, and started to read it (well, at least flip through the pages and do a running commentary about the pictures.)
That really drove home a point for me - that kids learn most quickly by watching our behaviour. Which means that whatever behavior / habit we want our kids to have, we gotta DO IT ourselves!
So…I’m going to work on some new habits for myself and my little ones:
I know it will take many months and even years to cultivate this Bible-reading habit, but the fruit of this labour will certainly be worth it.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. - Prov 22:6
How do you encourage your little ones along in their spiritual growth?
Read also: G for Jesus
The Daddy and daughter were playing star jumps…
Her daddy turned away, and she was left standing
in the same spot where the
jumps had been.
Mummy led the crying girl to her room, saying,
“You can stay here until you are ready.”
There were some screams and a pail of tears.
Lost in their moment of folly.
After the episode, we hugged and made up, and Vera said: “Sorry, papa…sorry, mummy”, without being prompted, for the very first time.
I learnt a big lesson that day. That we don’t need to let anger take over when something goes awry. And it need not be a battle between the big people and the little people. Sometimes, our little people just need a bit of help processing their emotions — which can be humongous by the way.
And because we stayed relatively calm through the entire episode, she was able to regain her feelings of normal-ness quicker and with less drama.
But it’s not always easy. I lose my cool more often than I would like, and I have to keep reminding myself to be more patient. What’s more, Vera seems to be at a stage where she can turn moody pretty quickly, when things are not done in the way that she expects. It’s a real challenge trying to get her to see things a little differently, but I guess as with everything else, she will learn. We just gotta keep at it, and hopefully it’ll be sooner rather than later.
Funny how something as innocent as star jumps could trigger a tantrum so quickly. But thankfully, this one went away as suddenly as it came.
Here is a photo of our little Shrek in a fit, taken at about 12 months.
What do you do when your little one throws a tantrum?
Read also:
These magnetic alphabets were taken off the fridge and lined up like a railway track.
Can you make out any words?
I thought for a moment that I spotted the word ‘eBay’, but oops the ‘I’ is where the ‘B’ should be.
Or maybe abacus spelt wrongly. ABYKS.
Anyway…
Nothing happier than a toddler who’s simply just playing with her alphabets.
Hmm, if we can’t find any words then this would be a very wordless Wednesday.
I came across this quote the other day by John Wooden, a renowned basketball coach.
“The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
It struck a deep chord within me, as I reflected upon our marriage and parenting journey over the past few years. In our society and culture in Singapore, we often see a father as the provider, protector, and strength of the family. Granted, many mothers today also play these roles to varying extents.
And as I think about this simple quote, I realise that the roles and responsibilities that a father often shoulders are in actual fact so closely linked to, and can be boiled down to this one thing — LOVING HIS WIFE. He can’t fully provide if the marriage love is in shambles, neither can he fully protect.
But when the love within the marriage is strong, even when trials and challenges present themselves, the family stands a good fighting chance of weathering them together.
So today, I just want to express my thankfulness and love for the man in my house — my God-fearing, loving and also laughter-inducing husband, who also helps out with the kids as much as he can.
Although we may be walking through some challenging circumstances right now, I know things will be alright. As long as we walk hand-in-hand, our hearts open to God in obedience, He will surely carry us through.
A loving marriage is the foundation of a strong, healthy family. Do you agree?
Read also: The power of a father
