Investments in Our Children

Sometimes we forget just how important and valuable our role as a mother is. We get caught up in the dailiness of things and lose sight of how we are impacting lives, shaping character and helping our children grow into young men and women of fine character. Planting good seed that will some day reap an abundant harvest.

At the recent homeschool conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Sonya Shafer from Simply Charlotte Mason, shared how we can give our kids 5 gifts. She used the acronym TEACH to make her point. Here is some of what she shared. And for free, just for you, I added some of my own thoughts. 🙂

T – Teach them the Bible – Teach them the mighty things God has done. Teach them the promises of God are for today, that’s He’s not a God of history but a God of today.  If a child knows God (not just head knowledge) but in his heart, God has promised…

…He will guide you into all truth: John 16:13

Mommy and daddy won’t always be around. Our kids need their own inward teacher (the Holy Spirit).

E – Enjoyable Pastimes – Spend time as a family together doing something that you all enjoy. In today’s world everything is always so busy, busy. It gets harder and harder to spend time together as a family. But we need to make the effort. Spending time together, doing something everyone enjoys strengthens the family unit, instead of “separating and stressing it”.

Give your children what they need to learn new skills – the materials as well as the time to learn it.

A – Academics – Teach them a wide range of subjects. Give them a love for learning by choosing books that will inspire. Lead by example. You be interested in life.

C – Character – Help your children form good habits. Our children’s lives are made up of habits be they good or bad. Help instill good habits which will make life easier for them in the end.

H – Home Skills – This one is self-explanatory. Teach our children the skills they will need to run their own home someday. It will cause less stress for them once they have their own home if they know how to cook, clean, be hospitable, do home maintenance and simple car repairs.

Each of the things listed are gifts we give our children and like Sonya said,

“Small things, constantly done, add up to something great.”  Sonya Shafer

Every time you do any of these things (TEACH), it’s like putting money in the bank. Our children’s lives are enriched and then it always comes back to us like bread upon the water.

Every day that we do any of these things, we are making investments that will pay big dividends.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9