Hurry up, Let's Go!
Dan Seaborn
My best friend, Robert, and I would take wheels off old roller skates and try to nail them to boards to make go-carts. Sometimes we'd just make ramps out of the boards and do daredevil stunts with our spider bikes. After tiring of this, we would catch bugs in a canning jar or pick figs off the tree by the old barn. Around noon, mom would call us in for a banana sandwich or a piece of her southern fried chicken. We would wash it all down with sweetened iced tea, and then off we'd go to continue our adventures.
Some days Mom would promise my brother and me a trip to our cousins' swimming pool if we could get the grass cut by lunchtime. We'd take turns running laps with the mower, leaving plenty of uncut grass behind - all in an effort to be swimming by afternoon.
There were many days I spent by myself in Grandpa's barn, looking for dirt dabbler nests and shooting wasps off their nests with my slingshot. My wanderings would take me to the little brook over in the beautiful meadow. It was easy to pass two or three hours turning over rocks and thumping crayfish through the shallow water. Sometimes I found clay in the banks and made pottery jars for Mom. She made me believe they were as good as gold and kept her fancy knickknacks in them.
You get the picture. I had a relaxed life. I had fun. There was time to grow up and learn what being a child was all about. There was time to experience God's beautiful earth without having to explain how it got here and how soon the ozone would be depleted. Though I faced many tough times growing up, I must say it was a great childhood.
Most children aren't getting that opportunity today. By the time they're two, their parents have them in designer jeans and fancy haircuts. Baseball and basketball camps start as soon as they can walk. There's a program that helps them read better so they aren't embarrassed in preschool. Clothes have all the right logos and sneakers have to be a certain brand.
Why do we do this? Why do we push our children to excel - to do more, see more, have more, be more - at such an early age? Could it be because we parents have not learned how to slow down and relax?
Psalm 46:10 states, "Be still and know that I am God." How long has it been since you have been still long enough to sense His presence and enjoy the world around you? I encourage you to try it today. Take a walk, ride a bike, play a game - relax and enjoy some time with you children. Be still and experience a few moments of peace and tranquility.
Now we have to do something with what we've learned. Find some time today to be still in God's presence and let Him speak to you about what your children need to do. Let's remember that our children are not growing up in the same time and place that we grew up. Forcing them to be who we want them to be and pushing them and hurrying them in that direction could cause lots of problems. The key to successful parenting is saying, "Lord, where do you want them to go? Give me guidance in leading them in that direction." When you pray, ask God to provide your home with some relaxing moments and let your home be a place where children are allowed to play and have fun and enjoy life.
Dan Seaborn
My best friend, Robert, and I would take wheels off old roller skates and try to nail them to boards to make go-carts. Sometimes we'd just make ramps out of the boards and do daredevil stunts with our spider bikes. After tiring of this, we would catch bugs in a canning jar or pick figs off the tree by the old barn. Around noon, mom would call us in for a banana sandwich or a piece of her southern fried chicken. We would wash it all down with sweetened iced tea, and then off we'd go to continue our adventures.
Some days Mom would promise my brother and me a trip to our cousins' swimming pool if we could get the grass cut by lunchtime. We'd take turns running laps with the mower, leaving plenty of uncut grass behind - all in an effort to be swimming by afternoon.
There were many days I spent by myself in Grandpa's barn, looking for dirt dabbler nests and shooting wasps off their nests with my slingshot. My wanderings would take me to the little brook over in the beautiful meadow. It was easy to pass two or three hours turning over rocks and thumping crayfish through the shallow water. Sometimes I found clay in the banks and made pottery jars for Mom. She made me believe they were as good as gold and kept her fancy knickknacks in them.
You get the picture. I had a relaxed life. I had fun. There was time to grow up and learn what being a child was all about. There was time to experience God's beautiful earth without having to explain how it got here and how soon the ozone would be depleted. Though I faced many tough times growing up, I must say it was a great childhood.
Most children aren't getting that opportunity today. By the time they're two, their parents have them in designer jeans and fancy haircuts. Baseball and basketball camps start as soon as they can walk. There's a program that helps them read better so they aren't embarrassed in preschool. Clothes have all the right logos and sneakers have to be a certain brand.
Why do we do this? Why do we push our children to excel - to do more, see more, have more, be more - at such an early age? Could it be because we parents have not learned how to slow down and relax?
Psalm 46:10 states, "Be still and know that I am God." How long has it been since you have been still long enough to sense His presence and enjoy the world around you? I encourage you to try it today. Take a walk, ride a bike, play a game - relax and enjoy some time with you children. Be still and experience a few moments of peace and tranquility.
Now we have to do something with what we've learned. Find some time today to be still in God's presence and let Him speak to you about what your children need to do. Let's remember that our children are not growing up in the same time and place that we grew up. Forcing them to be who we want them to be and pushing them and hurrying them in that direction could cause lots of problems. The key to successful parenting is saying, "Lord, where do you want them to go? Give me guidance in leading them in that direction." When you pray, ask God to provide your home with some relaxing moments and let your home be a place where children are allowed to play and have fun and enjoy life.
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