It happened again today. The morning shows on television were trumpeting the results of some new study “proving” the quality of the time spent with children is more important than the quantity of time. These sorts of reports and studies circulate periodically, reassuring over scheduled, working parents their children will be “just fine” with the few minutes of time a day most spend with them.
It’s not that I disagree with the study in theory. Even before smart phones and computers, there were many parents who were in the same house or even the same room with their children for many hours a day without meaningful interaction with them. On the other hand, I always wonder what the standard for “just fine” really is, not just in these studies, but in God’s eyes.
One of my favorite parenting verses is Deuteronomy 11:19 “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (NIV) It sounds like God sets up a parenting expectation of quality and quantity time. God is calling parents to raise children equipped not just to obey God, but to glorify Him, serve others and share their faith. In today’s world, that is not as easy to do as one would hope.
Continue reading Christian Parents and the Quality Versus Quantity Time Debate
Christians often get confused about God’s plans and His timing. We tend to get our feelings, popular culture and out-of-context Bible scriptures all muddled in our brains. The final version either comes out “God’s only plan for us is to obey and get to Heaven” or God is “the ultimate fairy Godfather sent to grant all of our wishes (or He isn’t much of a God at all)”.
Our family has had more question marks than periods and exclamation points for the last year. My husband’s mother died and his dad is suffering from the final stages of dementia. Our daughter graduated and moved across country to attend college, with its four years of never-ending question marks. My years as a stay-at-home mom are over and my various ministries are shifting in major ways. We have long periods of time where everything seems confusing and frustrating. Sometimes it seems impossible to see God’s plans for our lives or understand His timing.
When I was a child, our family had a garden about a half acre in size. It doesn’t sound like much for a yard maybe; but as a garden – it was huge. Besides providing our family with year around practically free fruits and vegetables, that garden taught us a lot of lessons about work, life and even faith.
Kids ask the best questions. Because so many things are new to them, they often develop an interesting perspective on what will later become common knowledge. Unfortunately, many schools are designed in ways that discourage questioning and a love of learning. Children who just a few years ago were full of wonder and questions lose the light in their eyes and begin to lose interest in learning new things as well.