Raising Young’ens
My Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with the girls are precious. Since they are with their Mom the rest of the week, I look forward to the weekends all week long. Sometimes we plan fun stuff, sometimes we just hang out. But one thing we always do is Sunday Mornings at Church. The kids usually forgo childrens church and attend the main service with me. At first, I think they chose to because they didn’t really know anyone at my “new” Church, and were more comfortable hanging close to Dad. That was cool with me, but then I found an unexpected benefit.
I suppose many would say that kids should be in childrens church…that they won’t pick up everything that the pastor is laying down in the grown up service (which I suppose is true, because I don’t get 100% of it either), or that they can be disruptive with their figgeting and occasional restlessness. I would have to disagree though. Without a doubt it’s true that some of the things presented and taught in “grown-up” church is over their heads, I know this to be fact because every Sunday on the drive home or at lunch, the kids have questions about what they heard. What great opportunity! Cause you see, ultimately the spiritual growth of these kids is MY job. I’m thankful for the leaders in their Sunday school classes, but I can’t pass that job on to them completely. Worshiping and attending service together gives opportunity for us to discuss and learn as a family. It’s an opportunity for me break it down for them at their level, and teach them things I wish I had learned long ago. It’s also an opportunity for me to lead by example.
Not that we’ve been at Harrah Church for awhile, and the kids have grown more comfortable there, Chloe will occasionally venture off to gym to learn and play with kids her age. But Tori still hangs with me, and Chloe will join us a couple Sundays a month…and that’s cool with me.
Chloe, my youngest, just turned 9 yesterday. That means half of her time under my wing is gone…give or take a few years. And I’m very thankful for the conversations the “grown-up” services have spawned. Thankful for the opportunity to lead them, and thankful for the chance to establish open dialogue with the girls that I hope with set the standard of open communication for those teen years to come and for those years when they step out into the world on their own.
