Training Children

I have 3 daughters, for which I am becoming more and more grateful. Tonight I was running behind - preparing for the arrival of houseguests does that to me sometimes. My husband called from work to let me know he was leaving there to come home... that meant in 15 minutes he would be arriving home and we generally eat dinner at that time. Panic set in. What would we eat? Nothing was thawed, my freezer was without handy premade meals, and the clock was ticking!

AH! Eggs to the rescue. So in a pinch, I called my 7 year old, plugged in the toaster, and had her begin making toast. Then I called my 4 year old over, cracked a quick dozen eggs, and had her scramble them in the bowl. I was able to cut up some watermelon, while my 2 extra sets of hands helped me get things going. I had the 4 year old set the table, collected the 2 year old and had her plugged into her little booster seat, then my husband walked in. Hurrah for the family that works together! We ate and I truly thanked the Lord for these little hands that had been trained to help momma.

Training requires so much patience, failure, mess, mommy biting her tongue, and then, finally, after enough trial, there comes a time when the training is in place. Suddenly, those little hands that had been such a bother, at times, were a blessing. They are really a blessing all the time, but sometimes it is hard to see them that way. As I watch my children grow from babies into little girls, and now bigger girls, I see such value in training them. Value that not only will come to me, but hopefully someday to others - roommates, husbands, children, or coworkers and friends. Lord, help me to train them well so that they will be prepared to bless others and serve You as they grow.