Ways to Bless Your Children
My body is tired from a long day, I have a slight headache, and have got the crazy hair going on. Yet, as I sit here, I fully comprehend why God called the man blessed who has kids. It is not the temporary discomforts that affect anything in a large scale; your body will have good and bad days. So as I sit here with my youngest on my lap, I am extremely thankful. I am thankful for the impromptu dance parties, the silly jokes, the brilliant way that children’s minds work, the sweet cards, the time they want to spend with me, and their pure faith. The list could endlessly keep going on. How do you show your appreciation to the ones who mean so much? How do you bless your children and express your thankfulness?
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5
First I will introduce you to my blessings!
Photo Credit: Scraps of Memory
I have my oldest son, Timothy. He’s six years old, and has bleach blond hair (minus the bleach). He appropriately won the funny award at his Kindergarten graduation, as he constantly is trying to make people laugh. He loves to play any game from Connect 4 to Farkle. His laugh can light up the darkest room, as we hear his joy radiating out of his mouth. It doesn’t matter if it is just when he is waking up in the morning or when he is about to go sleep, his excitement level does not wane. Even though he has an extremely playful side, he still can be very focused and portray strong leadership skills.
Photo Credit: Scraps of Memory
Next in line is my only daughter, Isabella. She is a sweet, curly-haired strawberry blond, that is 4 years old and would give the shirt off her back if she knew it would make you smile. She gives and gives and gives. Her desire to bless others with whatever she has is inspiring. This is part of what makes her such a good friend to whoever crosses her path. My heart is so proud that she craves to learn about the things of God. She loves ponies of all shapes and sizes. We frequently will get to be her audience as she puts on a dance performance. She is extremely playful and imaginative. Her motherly instincts are adorable as she takes care of each of her “babies”. She even pretended to be nursing one of them the other day.
Photo Credit: Scraps of Memory
Jayden is two years old, and has dirty blond or brunette hair, depending on who you ask. He is a sports enthusiast, with an awesome smile and big bright eyes. It is exciting to watch him grow and learn. Right now he loves cooking with momma, he will pull up a chair and help wherever he is allowed. He speaks in full sentences, and his vocabulary is awesome, so sometimes I forget he’s only 2! His favorite game is hungry hungry hippos, because he loves to eat his favorite color “yellow”. There is only one yellow ball in the whole game so that makes it interesting. He is solid muscle of independent two year old.
Photo Credit: Christine Mcllhenny
Cody is the newcomer to the block. He is only one month old, but is already so engrained in the fiber of our family. At birth, he would just look out the hospital window, or put his little arm underneath his chin, like the school photos. This is why I am pegging him as a deep thinker. He is a blondie, and many that have seen Timmy as a baby have dubbed him his doppelganger. He loves to listen to music, even when momma sings, so he clearly has an eclectic taste.
How to Bless your Children
I asked fellow mommas who I respect for ways they bless their children and here is what they said. Thank you Christine, Crystyn, Kristin, Mom, and Joanna for your valuable input!
Share Jesus With Your Children
Your greatest calling is to share Jesus and the hope you have with your children. For some this will come natural, for others it will seem unnecessary, or perhaps not your place. However, I promise you this is important. God has entrusted these sweet children in your care to love them the best you can. One of the ways to do this, is loving them enough to not only focus on temporary earthly matters, but also on their spiritual well being. We can’t get to Heaven by our own merit. Even if we raised the most well behaved kids, but they failed to know Jesus, they will not go to Heaven. (Romans 3:23; John 14:6) So I encourage you, make sharing Jesus with your kids a priority today. Are you going to Heaven?
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4
Quality Time
No monetary gift compares to quality time. It is what kids crave. Quality time reminds them that they are valuable and cherished. What is your kids favorite past time? Join them, explore with them. Sit down for a tea party, throw a baseball, play dolls or cars. Truly listen to your kids as they take you places with their imagination. Some other fun ideas include camping in the yard, packing up a meal and bringing it to the park. Set aside time just for them.
Eating Meals Together
In this hurried society. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the busyness and forget the importance of sitting and eating meals together. I still remember as a kid eating meals as a family. No matter where my siblings were throughout the day we generally conjured back at dinner time. I always appreciated the collective unit around the dinner table. I think I appreciate it even more now looking back and thinking what a blessing it was to spend that time with the people I love so much.
Consistency With Good and Bad Consequences
This type of security is a blessing to your kids. We have lived longer than them, and have gained wisdom through our life experiences and through what God grants us. So what can we give our kids? Guidance and direction! Hopefully they don’t have to learn everything the hard way. Wouldn’t that be nice? Through these steps, hopefully they learn to trust you, and see that you were trying to protect them. I still remember the boundaries that my parents had for me, and looking back I am so thankful that my parents cared enough about me to create boundaries that ultimately protected me physically or spiritually. This love through boundaries also reminds us that the boundaries that God set in motion are also for our good.
Taking Care of Their Physical Needs
We sometimes wonder how can we bless our children, but in reality there are plenty of ways that we already do. As a mother, the idea of feeding your baby is not an optional idea, and yet, when they are babies, they rely fully on their mother to feed them and clothe them. Sacrificially showing them this love is a blessing, even though we don’t get shown praise and accolades for it. God sees each dirty diaper we have cleaned, and each meal we have prepared with love. I hope you realize how important it is for not only your children’s physical health, but also emotional having a parent that loves them and cares for them.