Family Relations Wk 1 - Focus and Distractions
That night my husband walked with her into the house, and looking up he noted the big dipper. We live outside! We love the outdoors. We love to sleep out at the lake in the summer and look at the stars. She shared that she didn't know what the big dipper was. What? He pointed out where it was, and they both came in the house smiling that she finally found the big dipper. How can that be?
The next morning we were doing family scriptures as we have every day of their life around the breakfast table. We have been going slower with Come Follow Me studies, and that morning we were talking about Mosiah 4-6. We had been talking about how King Benjamin had set up this perfect opportunity to teach the people and that he called them all together. Then he shared personal experiences, and then he asked questions. We challenged everyone at the table to come with a question to the next meal. Something that would make others think. That night we asked our questions and talked about Wonder. My husband asked if... in the event that a woman found that she was making more than her husband, would it be ok for her to work, and for the father to stay at home. Sara (16) shot back quickly, that she didn't see anything wrong with that. yes. That would be great. I must have had a perplexed look on my face. I was dumbfounded. What? What did you just say? What would that do to the family? We had a discussion. Both these daughters recently took a nutrition college class where the professor convinced them, that the world is going to run out of food and not support life by the year 2060? I am not sure on that date, but it is something like that. We have talked about this before and tried to convince them that what that teacher was saying was totally wrong. They obviously didn't and still don't believe us.
This discussion about the unintended consequences of a choice, ended in a challenge by my husband for our teen daughters to watch the demographic winter videos we had recently finished. They were not happy about this two-hour assignment, and the next morning, both of them found other directions they wanted and did go instead of watching the videos. Midafternoon they knew they were going to have to watch, so they sat down to watch. We have tried a couple of times to have a discussion about it, but conveniently the adversary has found ways to divert the discussion so we still need to discuss them. I felt the videos were well documented. They were well done, and present the consequences of thinking that we were concerned about the environmental issues of population while the real consequences of such thinking are silently sliding into place. Oh the adversary is so sly. He knows how to divert our attention so carefully so we won't know that we like a frog in a boiling pot of water are doomed for destruction.
I have several classes this semester. Honestly, I am a little concerned, asking questions of myself if it is wise and proper for me to have so many classes right now. I have 12 credits this spring semester as I juggle all the other hats of mom, wife, accountant, homemaker, I don't need to list them. I am also enrolled in a parenting class. How should I be parenting these teen girls? How do I show them by example and deed and yet have them be so blind to what is happening? Where should my priorities be right now, and it is time and right for me to be spending this time on education? I believe that the answer to these questions will be tailored just for me. I know that our dear Prophet has instructed us to HearHim# and I am grateful to know that He will answer my prayers just for me!
For purposes of this post, which is also included in my personal blog, I share that I have five sons and four daughters. I have homeschooled all for 29 years they have been the focus of my life. My oldest just turned 29 and my youngest recently turned 8. He was baptized in the Virgin river because the chapels are all closed. That is another post. I quit attending BYU Provo 30 years ago about this same time to support my husband through a Paralegal certificate, then an Associate Degree, then a Bachelor's Degree, and then to Law School across the country in Tennessee. I married on my 19th birthday, 31 years ago next month. Since that day, my time has always been dedicated to serving, loving, playing, working, and being with my family. As we read and study about changing values, and I note the changes in my teen daughter's attitudes, I stand with my jaw on the ground because I have done all this because I believe Family is most important. It is all we have! These Individualism ideas are selfish, short-sighted, and will end in a lonely place! I don't need a degree. I don't need to work. I am going to school to show them that education is important, but it is NOT all! Individual desires to be something or someone in the world are not important to me at all! Education is important, and I love it when the world comes all the way around to see that the falsehoods they have taught are wrong! Truths with a capital T will stand the test of time! In the end Family is everything! Where should I balance my time right now?
Today alone I had to stay home from the inaugural trip on our boat for the afternoon adventure to complete BYUI assignments. Is that the right FOCUS right now? Oh I need to move forward carefully! The adversary so careful crafts distractions from what is actually important so we will not FOCUS on what truly is important!
The next morning we were doing family scriptures as we have every day of their life around the breakfast table. We have been going slower with Come Follow Me studies, and that morning we were talking about Mosiah 4-6. We had been talking about how King Benjamin had set up this perfect opportunity to teach the people and that he called them all together. Then he shared personal experiences, and then he asked questions. We challenged everyone at the table to come with a question to the next meal. Something that would make others think. That night we asked our questions and talked about Wonder. My husband asked if... in the event that a woman found that she was making more than her husband, would it be ok for her to work, and for the father to stay at home. Sara (16) shot back quickly, that she didn't see anything wrong with that. yes. That would be great. I must have had a perplexed look on my face. I was dumbfounded. What? What did you just say? What would that do to the family? We had a discussion. Both these daughters recently took a nutrition college class where the professor convinced them, that the world is going to run out of food and not support life by the year 2060? I am not sure on that date, but it is something like that. We have talked about this before and tried to convince them that what that teacher was saying was totally wrong. They obviously didn't and still don't believe us.
This discussion about the unintended consequences of a choice, ended in a challenge by my husband for our teen daughters to watch the demographic winter videos we had recently finished. They were not happy about this two-hour assignment, and the next morning, both of them found other directions they wanted and did go instead of watching the videos. Midafternoon they knew they were going to have to watch, so they sat down to watch. We have tried a couple of times to have a discussion about it, but conveniently the adversary has found ways to divert the discussion so we still need to discuss them. I felt the videos were well documented. They were well done, and present the consequences of thinking that we were concerned about the environmental issues of population while the real consequences of such thinking are silently sliding into place. Oh the adversary is so sly. He knows how to divert our attention so carefully so we won't know that we like a frog in a boiling pot of water are doomed for destruction.
I have several classes this semester. Honestly, I am a little concerned, asking questions of myself if it is wise and proper for me to have so many classes right now. I have 12 credits this spring semester as I juggle all the other hats of mom, wife, accountant, homemaker, I don't need to list them. I am also enrolled in a parenting class. How should I be parenting these teen girls? How do I show them by example and deed and yet have them be so blind to what is happening? Where should my priorities be right now, and it is time and right for me to be spending this time on education? I believe that the answer to these questions will be tailored just for me. I know that our dear Prophet has instructed us to HearHim# and I am grateful to know that He will answer my prayers just for me!
For purposes of this post, which is also included in my personal blog, I share that I have five sons and four daughters. I have homeschooled all for 29 years they have been the focus of my life. My oldest just turned 29 and my youngest recently turned 8. He was baptized in the Virgin river because the chapels are all closed. That is another post. I quit attending BYU Provo 30 years ago about this same time to support my husband through a Paralegal certificate, then an Associate Degree, then a Bachelor's Degree, and then to Law School across the country in Tennessee. I married on my 19th birthday, 31 years ago next month. Since that day, my time has always been dedicated to serving, loving, playing, working, and being with my family. As we read and study about changing values, and I note the changes in my teen daughter's attitudes, I stand with my jaw on the ground because I have done all this because I believe Family is most important. It is all we have! These Individualism ideas are selfish, short-sighted, and will end in a lonely place! I don't need a degree. I don't need to work. I am going to school to show them that education is important, but it is NOT all! Individual desires to be something or someone in the world are not important to me at all! Education is important, and I love it when the world comes all the way around to see that the falsehoods they have taught are wrong! Truths with a capital T will stand the test of time! In the end Family is everything! Where should I balance my time right now?
Today alone I had to stay home from the inaugural trip on our boat for the afternoon adventure to complete BYUI assignments. Is that the right FOCUS right now? Oh I need to move forward carefully! The adversary so careful crafts distractions from what is actually important so we will not FOCUS on what truly is important!