Family Talk: Prepared for the Real World?

Disclaimer: this blog is a collection of my thoughts and opinions. You may not agree and that is okay! :)

A few weeks ago I came across this chore list from The Busy Mom - I read it thinking "Wow, I need to step up my game.. my kids are living on a vacation!" :)

 I realize that sometimes I just do things myself because:

1. it's easier
2. i will do it "the right way"
3. out of habit

I have been trying to be more intentional to involve my kids in the household chores and not worry if it is done correctly ... or if it takes 4x longer and requires more effort. I may have to do it again later but that's okay!

I think the majority of moms would agree that it is our job to prepare our children for life & the "real world" to come.

It's always good to take inventory and ask ourselves how we are doing.

I am inspired and challenged by a friend of mine Candace. Her kids know how to work & are learning responsibility at a young age - they have chores they are expected to complete in the morning before school and after school. The kids work as as team. One child packs lunches, another packs the snacks, one takes out the trash and unloads the dishwasher and each one cleans their rooms and mind you this is BEFORE school begins!! They also have an alarm & get themselves up, teeth brushed, dressed & get breakfast.  Whew! I'm impressed!
She has 4 kids that range from 10 to 5.  (Candace- you are a FABULOUS mom & a rockstar!)

Some may think this is too much or that these tasks should be reserved for mom only-- I would definitely disagree!

I work with 18 to 20 somethings and I have met a variety of students - some who definitely learned responsibility and work ethic growing up & others who did not have to lift finger and had everything done for them.

It just doesn't seem as cute for a 21 year old to not know how to do the dishes or clean up after themselves does it? At times, I can get frustrated but then I am reminded that at times we all need to be asked to do something and we need someone to teach us and set an expectation for us.

I will be the first to admit that I do not always do the best job making time for these teaching moments for my kids... but I want to!

As moms, our hands are full... our jobs never feel quite finished... we can be our biggest critics... but God's grace is sufficient for us and the good news is... it is new every morning!!

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. -Lamentations 3:23 Being a mom is such a great responsibility & privilege. It is important that we do not find our complete identity in being a mom. We can find great joy in being a mom and value it as an amazing calling but I think we need to be careful to not do things for our kids out of our own need for validation or to feel "needed". Our kids need us to teach them and prepare them for life. It is great to be a blessing to them but I'm not sure if doing everything for them, (and taking that as a badge of honor) is serving our children & future adults well.  My prayer is to prepare my kids well.. not just in knowing how to do housework, but in knowing God's word, knowing how to pray, looking for opportunities to serve others, knowing how to manage their time & money, knowing how to live generous lives -- to raise them to be responsible and make this world better!  I have seen too many young adults that have such a sense of entitlement - they haven't had to work hard for much and expect things to be a certain way... their way!  This is a good reminder for me that my kids need me to take time to teach them responsibility & to "wean" them off of me!  This is discipleship -  "I do, you watch; I do, you Help; You do, I help; You do, I watch; You now show someone else." I would love to learn from you! What do you do in your family? Any tips that you can share?  We need each other, none of us have all the answers!! Let's not compare and feel inadequate but let's learn from each other and find the wisdom & grace from the Lord! Our identity comes from God alone! Hope you have a fabulous day and week ahead!