Company’s coming . . . and it can be a bit nerve-wracking wondering just what your kids are going to say or do! Get them ready to host guests—or to be good, mannerly guests themselves—wherever you go!
Humility
Humility
“Father, where shall I work today?”
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed out a tiny spot
And said, “Tend that for me.”
Heroes
Mama’s Boy
This very old story is one of my favorites and I’ve kept it and re-read it from time to time to help me remember to see life through my children’s eyes, and to never forget the power of a mother in the home. —Diane
Mama’s Boy
Tommy began to get the feeling even before Billy punched him in the ribs. It was afternoon, and Miss Deering was putting number work on the blackboard.
Asking Why
“Why do I have to do this English page, Mom?”
Why do you teach your children Language Arts? What are you hoping to accomplish? What is the goal, the end of the road?
It is so essential for me to keep that end-of-the-road milepost in constant remembrance! Without it, we quickly get side-tracked into reflexive pronouns, antecedents, inverted sentence order and more. For me, the goal I hope to accomplish by teaching my children Language Arts is that they can express themselves clearly in the spoken and written word, so that they may influence others for good. It is a simple goal, and keeping it foremost in my mind helps me avoid detours.
Kind at Home
Kind at Home
I’d like for folks to say of me,
No matter where I roam,
“That child is nice and gentle—but
She’s sweeter far at home.
You Go First
When I was a little girl, I used to dream about living in the south during the Gone with the Wind era, when belles wore full, swishy dresses and used southern hospitality. It seemed ladies were sweet and genteel, and courtesy was the order of the day. Now that I’ve grown up (and studied the Civil War and got accustomed to air conditioning), I don’t think of living then so longingly, but I do still wish that ultra-courtesy was our culture’s style of interaction.
The Family Bible
The Family Bible
Old Brother Higgins built a shelf
For the family Bible to rest itself
Lest a sticky finger or grimy thumb
Might injure the delicate pages some.
He cautioned his children to touch it not,
And it rests there still with never a blot . . .
And the Higgins tribe are a careless lot.
His neighbor, Miggins, built a shelf.
“Come, children,” he said, “and help yourself.”
Now his book is old and ragged and worn,
With some of the choicest pages torn
Where children have fingered and thumbed and read;
But of Miggins’ children I’ve heard it said
That each carries a Bible in his head.