Yes!!!

In parenting my daughter, I often wonder if she "gets it". In other words, do all those things that I try to teach her ever sink in...will she understand why I try to instill the values that I do...will she wonder why I'm strict in some areas, passive in others, and unwavering in a select group? I realize that I may never get to see the results of my parenting in certain areas until she is an adult herself one day. But...God gave me a glimpse that she DOES understand one thing: DEBT is not supposed to be normal. She shared with me a clip of a conversation she had with her 12-year-old cousin on Sunday. It goes something like this...

Cousin: "Everybody has to go into debt at some point."

Anna: "No they don't."

Cousin: "Yes, they do. Like...if you're going to buy a new boat, you get a loan to buy the boat and pay it back later."

Anna: "No, you wait until you've saved up the money to the buy the boat and then you get the boat."

Cousin: "Hmmm...that makes sense. How did you know that?"

Anna: "My mom and step-dad listen to Dave Ramsey all the time, and they tell me all the time to never get into debt."

YES!!!!!!! She gets it!!!!

Bye Bye Bully...

Some of the most teachable moments come through some of the most obvious ways. After having spent the last twelve years perfecting my “mom skills”, I can say with a loud proclamation – I’m nowhere closer to perfection than the day I began! WOW – parenting is so tough sometimes! As my wee one is now a pre-teen, I am trying to pass the reins to her a bit when it comes to issues needing resolution. I’ve taught her to try and handle difficult situations (i.e. school bullies) to the best of her ability and then call in her “back up” if needed. She’s actually done quite well during the few times that it’s happened, however she ran into a situation recently that didn’t seem to want to disappear with her tactics alone. I kept offering my services, so to speak – a little “mom intervention”. She kept reminding me that she would handle it. The situation only continued to worsen. I reminded my daughter that it’s okay to ask for help – that sometimes there are situations bigger than we are, and we simply can’t resolve them on our own. She relinquished “ownership” of the situation to me, and the problem was resolved in less than 24 hours. I did nothing special, but I relied on my adult “power” to step into this adolescent situation in a tactful way and in a way that would not bring my daughter any embarrassment. Needless to say, she’s happy – the tears are gone – and, mom’s smiling!

As is always the case, the tangible life lessons that involve me as teacher almost immediately find their way back to me as student. This time – I was the one needing intervention, a little “back up” assistance, but I didn’t own up to that. Finally, a still, small voice inside me kept reminding me, “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” (See also 2 Corinthians 12:9) Yes it is – sometimes, I can only rely on God’s divine power to solve a problem. It may just be more than I can conquer on my own or simply more than I choose to deal with. But, He’s more than ready to take our load, He doesn’t want or expect us to carry our burdens alone – just ask Him!