Picking Their Friends

Proverbs 22:6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.(NIV) My oldest, Paris, turned 11 this week and it has taken me this long to recover from the swimming/slumber party. Now, I don't tolerate noise very well, but I promised my wife that I would not say a word about the noise level with the understanding that 11 tweenie girls will romp around my house for nearly 36 hours. Ok, I had to promise twice because when I first mentioned it to Tasha, within 90 seconds I was already fussing. So, on my second go-round I went into my observant mode. As Paris has gotten older, Tasha and I have tried to allow Paris to hang with her little girlfriends more often. Be it via Skype or actual visits, we want to be more comfortable with it. We are the kind of parents though that has to know who the child is, who their parents are, where they live and have been to their homes to ensure that things are on the up and up. So, all the girls present checked out initially. However, we had to sit Paris down after the party and talk about choosing friends. 2 of the young ladies my daughter will not be able to hang out with any more due to how they treated Paris and my home. Now, some people think that I'm cruel for this demand, including Paris, but my daughter is my responsibility and God has put me in charge to train her up in the way she should go. Paris doesn't have the insight that Tasha and I have and I'm not in this gig as Dad to necessarily do everything to please my kids. We do things for our kids to teach, protect, guide and support them. Sometimes it may be hard and they may get upset, but I will always try to make decisions based on the Word of God regardless the reception from my children. Funny thing is, after thinking about it for some time, Paris is now in complete agreement with the decision. That's nothing but the Holy Spirit working within.

LondonTurns 2 Today

When the wise folk she us walking through church with out lovely 4 children they mention without fail that Tasha and I better enjoy them while they are still young. I always laugh because I can't wait until they are old enough to get a job. Actually, I'm beginning to understand why the wisdom is so profound. 

London turned 2 today and it seems that these 2 years were a blur. From walking to potty training, to talking to playing to conversing to now feels as if it all just took place yesterday. With having these 9 years between the oldest and youngest, it is vital that we take the time to live in the moment of each of our kids and take the time to sit back and enjoy it all. 

Daddy, Will You Play With Me?

Ok, as I was sitting at my laptop trying to get some work done I noticed my son BJ walking in circles around the kitchen island. Now, you have to understand that in the summer, my kids are required to do something productive throughout the day instead of playing video games. However, BJ had already read several chapters in his latest book and completed his chores...he was looking for something to do. After his 10th pass around the walls of Jericho, I finally spoke with a loud cry to ask what in the world he was doing. He told me that he was waiting to play with me but I was on the computer. I immediately logged off and we began to play UNO. I pulled out a bag of chips and we sat and had a great time.
The most important thing to understand in parenting is sacrifice. People always say to enjoy the kids while they are young, but why do so many parents think that a television program or FaceBook post is more important than playing hide-and-go-seek with the kids? I don't want these years to pass by and my kids to say I was never there for them even if it means turning off the computer, sitting on the floor and getting my UNO on.

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Tweenies, Ugh!

I was reading 1 Timothy 3 today and Paul was laying our instructions concerning leadership. I got to the point in verse 4 where he mentioned a leader being one who keeps his children under control and I thought of my little tweenie Paris. For those that don't know, a tweenie is a person not quite the age of a teenager, between the ages of 10 to 12. Paris would rather spend all day upstairs secluded from the family while texting (from her ipod of course, not quite ready for a phone), watching YouTube videos or Skyping and Voxing with her friends and cousins. She wakes up with attitude, especially if the sun is still up and complains vehemently if she has to go to bed before sun up. Paris is going through that stage of not wanting to be treated like a child, but refuses to raise her maturity level beyond that of a child. Well, actually, she is a child. The true problem is what she sees in the world. Her friends have this, watch this, listens to that. Her friends talk like this, dress like that and get to do whatever they want to do. She hates anything that is not technology driven with the exception of reading. However, ask her to clean her room or empty the dishwasher and she thinks that world has ended. 

So that is what we deal with, but the key is to approach her with the mindset that I was once in her shoes. I've learned to realize that Paris is the reincarnation of myself. I guess that's why I stay on her so much. I try to give 2 positives to every negative when conversing with her, but more importantly, I try to point everything back to the Word of God. As I continue to grow as a Kingdom Man, the Holy Spirit reveals to me how to nurture Paris through this stage she is going through. I have learned to apologize to her when I approach her interesting actions incorrectly. I've learned to allow her to talk, and yes, I listen. Most importantly, I have learned to waver. I've accepted that my first born may not like my decisions very much, but as long as I continue to put her future first in everything I do, she'll learn to understand. We will get through the tweenie stage only to reach the teen stage, but if we tackle this stage now, maybe the teenage years won't be so bad... wishful thinking. Gotta love being a parent.  

Getting Back To The Blog

Ok, raising 4 kids is tough. I haven't been able to get on this blog due to having to be a good daddy to the my little Mocha6. However, I'll get back to posted regularly as I'm pondering my week without the oldest 3. Yes, Paris, BJ and Jackson Jericho are visiting their Meme and PawPa Smith for the week. Little Ms. London stayed with me, oh yeah, Tasha is away at a conference, so the little munchkin just has me to hang with.

Family is so huge... I believe that the support of your family is necessary to raising wonderful kids. We used to live so far away that our kids did not get to see their family very often. Hence the move to Texas. However, just being a few hours away from the Grand Parents is a plus. Normally, the kids spend an entire month away. They attend the local Vacation Bible Schools and make all the local kids jealous with their bible skills and musical talents. PawPa is always showing them off, but the Paris, BJ and Jericho love it. They get to eat fresh watermelon, pick berries, swim, and their all time favorite, burn trash. BJ loves the smell of burning trash and my father has built a pit just do so. He'll actually save up the trash until the time the kids get there just to see the delight on their faces when the flames decorate the sky. Nothing like good ole country fun.

On the flip side, I utilize this time to get things done around the house, reconnect with the wife and just relax. However, with Tasha gone, I have had the time to bond with London. She is definitely a mommy's girl, but she has no choice this week.

So, next week the fun starts all over and I'll be sure to post the exciting adventures of The Mocha 6 and hopefully  be able to encourage everyone raising kids that the sacrifice, if you are making it, is surely worth it.