I could only get away with serving my children salad for breakfast because literally every bite of the salad was freshly picked from our backyard garden that morning. My kids were young. Only four, six and seven years old. Though little, the older two already had their own raised beds in which they planted, water and weeded (sometimes) their own veggies. The pride on my oldest son’s face was priceless the day he came inside with a radish he had grown himself. I couldn’t believe how huge it was. He grew it from seed, tended to it and now begged to eat it. I was tempted to encourage him to wait to add it to our dinner salad and then I thought, why not now? I had my other kids go out and pick some lettuce and tomatoes and breakfast was served. The funny thing was, they never complained. They never asked, “why are we having a salad for breakfast.”
Sometimes, as moms, we need to think outside the box. In a sense we already are with homeschooling so why don’t we break out of the traditional molds and raise our children the way we want to raise them? We need to set both goals and boundaries for ourselves as moms. As far as goals go, we need to first believe that these goals are achievable. Can I really expect my child to sit still all the way through a church service? Yes! Can I get my child to eat veggies even though all he likes is macaroni? Yes! Can my child sleep through the night. In his own bed? Yes and yes. It might sound crazy and unrealistic but if others mothers do it, why can’t we? Why can’t we expect certain requirements for our children? Usually we don’t because we are moved by their emotion. Or worse, we are moved by our emotions. We can’t expect our goals to be reached without a fight. Kids aren’t born wanting to obey. They are born sinners, we need to lead them, even in difficult areas such as food and sleep.
Sleep is a tough one since there are so many different parenting styles out there with different opinions on the situation. As for me, I covet my sleep so if I can be sure to have my kids sleeping through the night I am happy. I usually shoot for them sleeping a twelve hour stretch by the time they are six months though I have had some start earlier and one didn’t go that long until well over a year. I put them down at the appointed time and don’t let them get up until the twelve hours is up, (unless they are really little and need to eat but if they are just playing or talking to themselves I make them stay in their bed). Then, as they get older, their bodies get into the routine and they know what is expected of them. Once they are old enough to stay up later, they receive a new bedtime and are expected to stick to it. This might sound strict but it works for us and ensures a good night’s sleep for everyone in the house.
Once we’ve set goals and are bold enough to set out to achieve them, we also need to set boundaries. As one who grew up with very little boundries, I was sure to set certain restrictions for my children. We sat our children down at a young age and told them what types of movies/TV shows they are allowed or not allowed to watch. What music is acceptable. Which words we allow to be spoken. We even have gone so far to not allow them on social media or to have cell phones. This might sound crazy in this culture but they honestly do not feel like they are missing anything because they don’t know anything else, Sure, they see their friends with these things but they know that our family does not do it and that is fine with them. They know that when they are older and move out they can make decisions for themselves about how they want to spend their time and money.
It’s not absurd to break out of the mold and be a bold parent. If you have been holding back in your parenting, take what rightfully belongs to you, your authority as a mom! Not in an overbearing way but in a loving and guiding sense and I am certain that one day your child will thank you!
