Dear Children

Dear Children of Mine,

I love you dearly.  Parents say this to their children all the time, but what does it really mean?  In terms you can understand, let me explain.

IT DOESN'T MEAN I'M GOING TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU-
When your father or I ask you to do a job, we expect YOU to do it, and in a timely fashion.  Letting the job wait until the end of the day in hopes we'll forget or do it ourselves, is not going to happen.  Not only is our memory still sharp, but you are a bonafide member of this family, and that membership comes with it's own reward- contributing to the running of this household.  No slackers allowed.

IT DOESN'T MEAN WE DO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE DOES-
You may be the only children for miles around that are helping with yard work, but that doesn't change our minds.  Truthfully, it only solidifies what we're doing.  We refuse to add to the generation of entitlement.  Listen carefully- HARD WORK NEVER HURT ANYONE.  Nothing good was ever achieved by being lazy, and the hours of lawn mowing, raking, weeding, and trimming will only serve you in the long run.

IT DOES MEAN A LIFE OF SACRIFICE-
The greatest example of love we have is found in Christ, and we aim to be His ambassadors in what we say and do.  From helping others in our neighborhood, to raising a Seeing Eye puppy, or bringing meals to those in need, we look for ways to put others first as Christ did for us.  This may mean stretching ourselves from time to time.  It may mean missing out on a favorite activity.  You can NEVER go wrong in loving someone this way.

IT MEANS GIVING YOU FREEDOM A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME-
When you can be trusted with a little, then you will be trusted with a lot.  A simple principle.  We parent inside the funnel, meaning, we give you a bit of leeway at a time, since too much too soon can be detrimental.  It would be careless for us as parents to leave you for a weekend by yourselves (and against the law).  An hour alone, however, is reasonable at this stage and allows you to grow into the freedom.  If at any time that small bit of freedom is abused, we reign it back in, until we see the trust regained.

IT MIGHT MEAN GOING WITHOUT-
Certain items that are deemed "necessary" in our culture really aren't.  We've been sold a bill of goods, and the payment will come due in the next generation of people who can't communicate face to face yet can text at the speed of lightning.  Your youth should not be filled with all the latest gadgets.  Instead, you should be reading, running around in our yard, playing with the puppy and hanging out with friends.  All this technology only serves to keep us connected ALL THE TIME, which is far from beneficial.

And that my loves, is just a few examples of how we're trying our best to love you.  God willing, one day you'll understand it all.  For now, just know we love you.

XO

The first 3 weeks

Summer has arrived in all it's glory- great weather, fireflies, late nights, BBQ's and walks around the neighborhood after dinner.  Winter isn't so bad when you have weeks like this.

Then there's the early mornings.  Normally, I'm a morning person.  Rising before the rest of the family to enjoy a hot cup of coffee and do my devotions, is my favorite way to begin the day.  Come summer however, I like to have a bit of a respite from the earliness.

Enter Cinnamon.

She doesn't know it's summer.  Nor does she know she's supposed to let me sleep in.  You can see my dilemma.

Just when my kids have reached the age when they sleep in, we go and get a puppy.  Remind me again whose idea this was?

She's been a delightful little girl; mellow as they come, aside from a few times a day when she's playful.  The crate is a lifesaver for those moments.  Most of the day she's sleeping.  Around here, that's known as recharging.

While most of the time she's angelic (see the picture above), she has earned the nickname "Jaws".  It fits.

When she began sleeping on our bed night the third night (the softie?  Not me.) I knew we'd regret it eventually.  Fast forward three weeks, and we have us a BIG problem.  Little miss doesn't want to be in her crate overnight and voices her opinion rather loudly.

The kids aren't about to transition her.  Nelson isn't either.  The lucky winner is me.  Do you see how my summer is stacking up thus far?

Down to the basement we go where she can whine without fear of waking anyone else.  Her incessant whining and barking lasted for 45 minutes straight.  STRAIGHT.  And just so you know, earplugs aren't worth a darn in this case.  <sigh>  I'm exhausted.  Even better is that she's up and raring to go at 5:30 am.  God love her.

Each night gets a little better, and each morning she's learning to wait a bit longer for me to rise and shine.

Until she decides sleeping in is a good thing, I'll be enjoying that early cup of coffee with her.
It doesn't hurt that she sleeps on my lap while I do that.  Puppy love it is.