This Sunday, at the official time of 12:15 pm, I will be the mother of THREE teenagers! Yes, my youngest is joining the ranks of teendom, and I will totally be Living with Teenagers! I remember as a young mom realizing that I would have three teenagers at once! Fortunately, I had read the book, The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot, and in it, she said that parents had no reason to fear the teenage years. She explained that our culture expects rebellion, defiance, and general chaos from the teen years, and there is no reason for it. As Christians, we should anticipate our kids' growing years with great excitement! We should expect the best from them as they grow into more independent relationships with Jesus, trusting Him every step of the way. I decided then that I would look forward to my kids' teen years. And you know what? It's been absolutely great so far!
Now, here's the deal: Danya turned 18 back in January. David turns 16 in July. And my baby will be 13 this weekend. Those are all pivotal birthdays, and they are hitting me hard! Yes, they are milestones, but they remind me that I am working my way out of the only job I have ever truly loved: parenting.
This Sunday I will be giving Derek an extra special gift. When all of my kids were babies, I began writing a journal for each one of them. I give them their journals on their 13th birthday. I wept like a banshee when I gave Danya hers, causing her to say with concern, "Mom, what are you going to do when I turn 16?" (Never mind that I blinked and there we were at her 16th b-day party--or so it seemed!). When I gave David his book, I held it together a little better, knowing that I still had one book left to give. Well, here I am!
Okay, so what's in this journal? Well, I write the story of their births (yeah, complete with gory details! LOL) and what their name means, and then, over the years, I just wrote of big moments in their lives, including recording their salvation experience and things I wanted them to know about how their character was developing and what I saw in the personality God has given them. Mostly I tell them how much I love them, and how Jesus loves them even more!
If you have a copy of Baby Boot Camp, you may have read about these little books, and my plans for giving them to my kids. I can't believe I'm on the last one!
*Don't forget to check out Mom's Tip of the Day at noon CST!
3 comments:
Awww. The journal idea is wonderful! I might have to start keeping one for my daughter and the next little one. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing such encouraging words. You are a blessing.
Practical question: What kind of journals did you use to record stuff for your children? Thank you!! Have a great weekend.
Hi fergiefam!
I used the cloth-covered, blank on the inside journals that are available at most bookstores. I'll be talking more about journals next week, so hopefully you'll get more ideas!
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