Learning From Past Mistakes

      I feel like I bore my soul to you all yesterday.  It felt good!!!  I was able to share some real experiences with you and I feel that allows me to share what I got from those.

      In 2011,  our family attended a homeschool convention that left me with a hunger to teach our children godly character.  In teaching godly character, we head off the need for a lot of discipline. I had never thought of this concept before.  We had always waited to discipline after the fact instead of teaching qualities that might preempt the need for discipline.  IT WAS LIFE CHANGING!!!!!  Our older three where all in their teens at this point, so it was not accepted as easily as it was with the younger ones.  The concept of teaching character rather than having the need to discipline on a regular basis was strange to the older ones.  The teens thought we were going soft with the younger 3 and we knew they had a right to think this way.  Mom and Dad were changing things they had known all their lives.

     We began having family devotions on a regular basis.  We used our character qualities as the subject for our devotions.  We really were hoping that these godly qualities would soak into the hearts of our children no matter what age they were.  I began teaching the younger ones certain character qualities during school as well.  We did some great activities and games to drive these Biblical values into their minds and hearts.  It was working well.  They were getting it.  The need for discipline was becoming less and less.  All I would have to do is remind them of the values they were learning and it was helping them learn to grow in Christ.

       That is what we will be focusing on as we do our daily blog.  We will be talking about how these wonderful character qualities changed our household.  I will be sharing ways to teach them and some helpful hints in how to instill them.  Our children, who still live at home with us, are not perfect, but we see godly behaviors daily.  Their hearts are soft and they are displaying character traits that they have learned and are still in the process of learning.

      Are you ready to learn?  Are you ready to mix things up a little?