Partners in Parenting

“Location, Location, Location!”

Location really matters in real estate.  The positioning of your home in a community, on a certain street, near a certain landmark (lake), or in a desired neighborhood clarifies the value of your home. 

Location matters with the weather.  I was only an hour and a half north of home last weekend, and I watched it snow off and on all weekend.  We only got about two inches.  A little further north, the people there got 18 or more inches.  Going even further north (but still in Michigan), people there got over 24 inches of snow!  I drove home and found no snow at all.  While Michigan people consider inches of snow, my niece in Florida sent us pictures of their family on the boat enjoying a sunny 80 degree day.  Yes, location matters when it comes to weather!

Location matters with our hearts too.  That may sound strange, but the Bible talks about the heart all the time.  Here are just a few references:

“…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” Hebrews 10:22

[Jesus said] “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”  Matthew 15:8

Location of the heart close to God or far from God looks and feels differently as we live each day.  When you think about the location of your heart, also consider the location of your child’s heart.  Keeping their heart close to God is a huge job, but the truth is that many times the location of a child’s heart is fairly similar to that of their parents.

Family Discussion Points!

Name things that are near or far in your house, neighborhood, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

As a family, talk about what a heart near to God is like and a heart far from God is like.

These are hard questions to talk about, but I pray God will use the discussion to bring your family closer to God.

Partners in Parenting

“A Wonderful “Drug” for your Kids!”

I don’t know anyone currently addicted to drugs, but I’ve known a few during my lifetime.  With the drugs, they are happy, content, outgoing, and generally satisfied with life.  Without the drugs, they have been irritable, “crazy,” depressed, and generally discontent with life.  The drugs I’m referring to above would be things like nicotine, alcohol, prescription drugs, and other street drugs.  I’m not talking about antibiotics or drugs to help cure diseases.

So here’s a great “drug” for your kids – SLEEP!  This past weekend, things just happened so that by Monday morning I was so sleep deprived, I did not feel like myself.  I was irritable, “crazy,” depressed, and generally discontent with life.  I ended up sleeping most of Monday, and then Monday night.  Today (Tuesday), I feel like a normal human being again.  I got my “fix” of the sleep my body was craving.  I found some research from the Sleep Foundation recommending kids between age 5 and 17 get between 8.5 and 11 hours of sleep each night.  The foundation recommends 7 - 9 hours of sleep for adults.  It is also understood that individuals all require different amounts based upon their own individuality.

However, I’d bet most of the people I see each day do not get enough sleep to be well rested.  Sleep is a wonderful “drug” for our kids – and all of us.  Rest is obviously important enough that God decided to get some:  “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”  Genesis 2:2

Family Discussion Points!

Does everyone in your family get enough rest each night, in general?

Why do you or why don’t you get enough rest – answers can be very different for each person.

Could/Should your family consider bedtimes for everyone?  Think about it a bit this week.