How To Raise Fairly Decent Children

By | August 13, 2012

How To Raise Fairly Decent Children

Yesterday my kids were so very insane that if it weren’t for the sense of humor that God endowed each of them with–well, I don’t know where we’d be. 


While I was taking a nap and Matt was working on a paper they took it upon themselves to go color their walls with the Magic Markers. Fortunately, they’re washable markers hence the “magic.” The following is taken from my hubby’s Facebook wall:
The day has finally come: Coco and Chaucer have colored all over the walls in their room with colored markers.

Me: “Coco, Chaucer, what did you guys do in here?!?!?”

Coco: “The pens did it themselves. Don’t ya know? They are magic pens.”

Chaucer: “Hehehehehe”
Me: … [smile]

I blame the folks at Crayola. 

Anyways, that was just a sliver of the bedlam that was yesterday. Make that last week. It’s super hot over here and every possible form of bad behavior is slipping out from my children. I freak out and worry that I’m raising two wack jobs. But then I remember it’s like a bazillion degrees outside and I’m not acting very nice myself. I’m giving us all a little wiggle room until it cools down. Then I’m gonna go Marine on them and whoop them into shape.

It’s times like these that I wonder how on God’s green earth my parents raised SIX children. There was a period of time where my Mom had three in diapers. THREE. Just thinking of all the wiping makes me wanna curl up in a ball and cry. How did she do it? 

If my parents could raise six fairly decent members of society then surely I can raise two. I know they didn’t leave it all to luck. There were rules, regulations and standards for the Hayes Family. I’ve narrowed it down to ten things (mostly because that was what the prompt was Monday Listicles).

Ten Things My Parents Did Right

1. They got every last one of us into church on Sundays.

2. We brushed our teeth before and after breakfast. At least I did. I can’t really speak for my brothers.

3. They taught us to honor the truth. It was a HUGE deal if someone was caught lying.

4. If two of us weren’t getting along they’d lock us in a room together until we were friends again. Fortunately, no one was killed with this method.

5. Despite the fact that there were six children in the house we always had friends over. Wasn’t that nice of them?

6. Reading was a big deal. My Mom would read us chapters each night from books like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Heidi. We’d go to the library and come back with huge stacks of books. To this day, the thing I do for “fun” is read. 

7. They raised us with a strong work ethic. I was cleaning the kitchen and cooking dinner by the time I was 7. And I was a good cook. 

8. They let us have pets. You’d think with that many children in the house pets would be out of the question. I remember one Christmas they surprised me with an adorable white kitten. I named her Miss Tiger and she was awesome. One day she disappeared. I was convinced that she was eaten by a mountain lion. And my parents let me believe that. Soooo….hmmm.

9. They didn’t live vicariously through our sports or hobbies. You know those crazy soccer moms and football dads? Thank God those weren’t my parents. They would have been sorely disappointed in my ability to play soccer and softball. 

10. They taught us about Jesus and showed us what real love looks like. 

***Linking up today over at Northwest Mommy for Monday Listicles

What are some things that your parents did right with you? What has stuck with you?


9 thoughts on “How To Raise Fairly Decent Children

  1. hilljean

    Ok, you are funny, and a believer! Score! Seriously… we must have the same sense of humor because I am cracking up at everything.

    Reply
  2. hilljean

    The SHOWING of real love is so important. Its missing in so many homes these days. Sounds like your parents are very unselfish and loving… beautiful list! I love it

    Reply
  3. hilljean

    Yes ???? I love Jesus and He loves me. So nice to here your sweet words this evening! you made my day without even having to buy me chocolate. Score!

    Reply
  4. hilljean

    Oh my, I laughed a big belly laugh at #4. Your parents sound like fine people who understand what this life is all about. Lovely to meet you!

    Reply
  5. hilljean

    It’s amazing to think how parents raised large families. My Mom is one of eight siblings. Eight…. and her mother only wanted one child! Lol We’re expecting our first in March 2013. My husband and I talk about how we will raise our children. I love this post and the list. Excellent points! http://www.fleurdealeta.blogspot.com

    Reply
  6. hilljean

    Wow! She sounds like a powerhouse! I love that you wanted to be both a fireman and a nurse ????

    Reply
  7. hilljean

    You do have cool parents :). My parents always encouraged me to be who I wanted to be. I remember asking my mom once when I was little if I could be a fireman and nurse when I grew up. I remember her saying that I could be anything I wanted to be. I think I was only like six when we had that conversations so it really left an impression on me. To this day, she encourages me that same way. She also set an example for me. She got her law degree when she was in her 40’s. Pass the bar exam in two states on the first try with having a correspondence school education. All the while dealing with health issues.My mom is my hero ????

    Reply
  8. hilljean

    Sounds like your parents did a lot of things right. My husband is also 1 of 6 kids. At one time his mom had 5 kids under the age of 6. Yes, she had them back-to-back-to-back! I often think the same way…if she could raise 6 kids I certainly should be able to raise 2! Like your parents, the hub’s parents got their brood to church every Sunday. But they definitely didn’t value or encourage reading. I secretly suspect my husband (now 45 years old!) has no clue how to read.

    Reply
  9. hilljean

    They did show us on a daily basis how much they loved us. Actions truly do speak louder than words. Thank you for stopping by. And I love the shoes in your avatar pic ????

    Reply

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