It is a new month, so I will be working on a new goal from President Ezra Taft Benson's address To the Mothers of Zion.
"Be a Real Friend. Second, mothers, take time to be a real friend to your children. Listen to your children, really listen. Talk with them, laugh and joke with them, sing with them, play with them, cry with them, hug them, honestly praise them. Yes, regularly spend unrushed one-on-one time with each child. Be a real friend to your children."
This is an important goal and habit to have. I am not the greatest listener when my children are talking to me. I often say "what" after they say "Mom", but then I only catch half of what they say. Am I the only one who says yes to something and then wonders what I just said yes to? Or I say "uh-huh" when I really don't know what they just said to me. I am going to work on making eye contact with whoever is talking to me and really pay attention to what is being said. Then I will respond with a comment.
I think I do a good job spending time with my children. We don't get as much one-on-one time as I would like, though, so this month I am going to take each child out for one-on-one time. I am looking forward to it!
I am going to do better at praising my children as I focus on their good choices as much as I focus on the bad ones. The bad choices get noticed a lot more than the good ones, unfortunately.
I am so blessed to have 6 children. I often wonder what our relationships will be like when they are grown. Well, what I do now, will determine what those relationships will be like. I want to be friends with my children.
4 comments:
I remember once my mum taking just me out to dinner at a chinese restaurant when I was...man, well, I must have been younger than 8 at least, 'cause it was when we were living in Dover. She just asked me one afternoon if I wanted to go get something to eat somewhere. I remember being so excited! I loved it! There has been only one other time when it's been just me and Mum OUT of the house together not running errands, and that was when she took me to lunch a day or two before I left home.
I know just what you mean about saying "uh-huh" I do that with Pedro a lot.
I try to remember things like this too, it's nice to read it on someone's blog to give me a little reminder. It's so true that what we do today will affect our relationships with our children in the future.
MUST NOT BE SO ENGROSSED WITH SILLY TASKS THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT WHEN MY CHILDREN ARE AROUND! (me, not you!)
This is such a great post, thanks for writing it. I will try to do these things better this month too!
I am so guilty of only half listening. I think it's because I feel there is so much on my mind, but still, I think it's unfair for my kids. I have tried to be better at it too, but it's usually after they've been talking for a minute that I mentally kick myself and begin to listen! Step by step...
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