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Posted by
Krista on
Jun 15, 2010
Can a vagabond and an anchor raise godly kids?
This blogging adventure may be best started with a confession . . . I am not very up on modern technology. In truth, I had to research exactly what a blog is and came away relieved to find that it can be like an online journal. I’m looking forward to comparing ideas and stories with you. Your feedback is most welcomed.
If you decide to follow along on our Kids of Integrity adventures, you’ll be getting to know an imperfect, middle-class family who loves Jesus. I’m Krista, a former “jill of all trades” turned mom. I used to travel extensively and worked anywhere that seemed interesting. Then, at age 32, I married Mr. Right. I knew without a doubt that Rob would be an amazing father. He is patient, servant-hearted, grounded and smart. It seemed a shame to waste those great genetics (ha, ha!), so we started talking about that “next big step” of having children.
So what exactly do you get when you mix a vagabond (me) with an anchor (Rob)? Answer: two beautiful children, Benjamin (six) and Jessica (four). Like their parents, they are exact opposites. Our firstborn is calm, thoughtful, imaginative, and he likes everything to be predictable and familiar. His sister, on the other hand, is a little spitfire with a “variable temperament” (she’s just like her mama!). Jessica loves adventure and is incredibly determined.
Why exactly is Kids of Integrity so appealing to our family? When Rob and I first had kids, the imposing thought of “building godly character” into their little souls was more than daunting; it seemed impossible . . . and not very fun. Sometimes I would look at my offspring and think, “You are sunk! My brain is mush, and I’m too tired to feel godly, let alone teach you anything about it!”
The great thing about Kids of Integrity is that it covers the main character traits we want to teach our kids. My husband and I don’t have to plan lessons or hunt for applicable Bible verses. We just read the selection and choose the elements that fit best with our family and our current schedule.
I have a feeling there will be a lot of growing ahead as we dive into Kids of Integrity and zero in on raising godly kids in today’s culture. (Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion it won’t just be our kids who will be learning valuable lessons!)
We look forward to journeying with you. We’ll be back soon after we begin work on our first lesson, Self-Control.
I love your comments you seem really down to earth and I can certainly relate to your situation. I am mom of 4 our children are 7, 4, 3 and 18months. Life is never dull and often very exhausting. I just heard about kids of integrity and am very excited about this too. May God bless you on this journey, I will try to join you.
Wow...Darlene...thank you for your encouragement. Truthfully, I don't think I expected people to comment on my posts much and I'm SO excited that you did already!
I can't even imagine how wiped you must be with four children at those ages. Even if they were all perfect little angels, just the cooking, laundry, cleaning and loving would drain Superwoman.
Go easy on yourself if you do decide to chip away at Kids of Integrity. I think we'll be taking our time with each lesson...so what if it takes us three weeks to get through one? Better to have fun with it than be glued to a schedule.
Blessings to you and your whole family. I pray rest and peace for your home.
Krista
Love your attitude about the schedule. As moms I find we (myself) can get very stressed out about getting everything done in a certain time line. I am learning to relax more and more and when I do God always rewards with His peace!
We are starting with the character trait "Self Control" . Can't wait to see where this takes us!
Sarah
Sarah--
There are certainly benefits to being a young mom, but personally I'm glad God had me wait until I was 37 before he gave us our first child (I'll save you the math...I'm 44 now). I didn't have the grace, patience or wisdom to be a good parent any earlier than that. Of course I'm still not always gracious, patient and wise but I'm MUCH better than I used to be. I say, "So what?" a lot more frequently and my kids are much happier for it.
Taking a week or two or three for each lesson is no problem. You know your family, your needs, your schedule. No one but God can arrange the teachable moments at the right time. So between the two of you, the lessons will work out just right!
Enjoy and keep us posted! Krista
My children sound an awful lot like your cherubs, My son David (6) is also very much a perfectionist and then we have a little spitfire four year old Erin, just found this site and am eager to take part, look forward to reading your blog
Karen - We love it when we hear of other people who have kids like ours! Your note immediately makes me want to pick your brain for ideas on how to deal with this and that! :-)
We have really had to be careful with Ben's perfectionism. I grew up in a very perfectionistic home and that's one thing I am determined to do differently with my own kids. I just read a great quote from Michael J. Fox the other day, "I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God's business." THAT is what we want to instill in our kids. It's not easy to do when both Rob and I still sometimes struggle with perfectionistic streaks ourselves. Let us know if you have any helpful ideas that you've used with David.
As for your little rambunctious Erin (she sounds absolutely delightful)...aren't these little wiggly, wild girls challenging AND fun!? I'm no spring chicken, but our Jessi keeps me young.
We're so glad to be "travelling" with you.
Krista