October meeting recap!

Our October meeting was yesterday, & we had another great turn-out! I'm so excited to see new moms joining us! Welcome, y'all!

Our devotional was incredibly moving & powerful... Jackie shared her story of her childhood & how she eventually came to Christ. I hope to publish a more in-depth recap of her wonderful devotional soon.

And our craft? Was SO STINKIN' CUTE! Tutorial coming soon, I promise!

Our topic for this meeting was "Diving into Love Languages with Kids." As moms of preschoolers, this is such an important thing to consider since these years are the most formative of a child's life & have a huge impact on the adult that they'll become. I don't know about you, but I find the importance of my actions & words both exciting & terrifying... I want so much to be the kind of mama who will help make my little girl become an incredible woman one day!

Patti Rountree from New Covenant Church was our speaker. Her very informative talk was divided into six main points:

1. Speak respectfully to your children & expect (demand) the same from them. Ms Rountree said that she uses an elderly & much-loved neighbor as an example for her children... when they speak harshly to each other, she asks "Would you speak to Mrs. Wilson that way?" This gives them a point of reference of how they should to speak to everyone in their lives. 
2. Be a good listener. Your children will mimic the way you listen. So many times, we want to insert a solution before our child even tells us the problem. Sometimes, it's more important to just listen to what they have to say. 
3. Keep confidences. It's tempting to tell about something hilarious they said or did, but we have to be careful not to embarrass them, especially as our children become older & more self-conscious.
4. Be their biggest fan! If they want to play soccer, let them... & cheer even if they stink. They don't have to be the smartest kid in class for you to be proud of them. Even when they're struggling, they should never have to question your love & support. 
5. Don't squelch their personalities. Teach & discipline them, but remember that each child is an individual & has their own quirks. Ms Rountree gave the example of her own three children... if she gave a list to her oldest, he would immediately begin & neatly check off each item as he completed it. If she gave the same list to her middle child, she would start the list with the best of intentions, but then get distracted... & eventually, she would lose the list. If she gave the list to her youngest child, he would want to discuss it, but not actually do it. 
6. Remind your children that they are made in the image of God. They are beautiful & smart & important no matter what.

Recommended Reading:

• "Proverbs for Parenting," by Decker
• "Five Love Languages for Children," by Chapman & Campbell