If you don’t have a good experience with doing the family motto, don’t leave it. Listen to conference. Get some ideas. Then have them make a family flag. Cut out pictures from church magazines. Make a family collage. Then from there begin to pull out things that your family stands for. Make it a process not an event.
As a “blue” parent we need to talk less and “do” more.
Mom has to generate the energy. Don’t let the moment defeat the vision.
You have to keep the idea alive in enthusiasm not lecture.
Another idea for creating a family mission statement….It was created over a period of 3-4 weeks. She didn’t tell them what they were doing, she just had them do an activity each week. Week #1 draw, cut out pictures, or write 5 of your favorite things. Week #2 draw, cut out pictures, or write 5 of your favorite things to do as a family. Week #3 draw, cut out pictures, or write 5 goals or things you would like to do. Then the next week they took all the pictures and compared them and said, “as a family we like to do……the same and we want to……do these the same.” From there they wrote their family mission statement.
For the Tanner Family Reunion this summer they have titled it “Wave Your Flag”. They did a video of kids at sunrise on Tablerock waving a flag so it is silhouetted. They did a video of kids on California beach waving a flag. They used the Young Women Value flags. They did a clip of each grandchild saying their name and a value. Then for the family reunion each family is to create their own family flag that represents them.
Kids have to feel a part of it to be excited about it.
Ponder: D&C 123:16-17
You have to keep the idea alive in enthusiasm not lecture.
Another idea for creating a family mission statement….It was created over a period of 3-4 weeks. She didn’t tell them what they were doing, she just had them do an activity each week. Week #1 draw, cut out pictures, or write 5 of your favorite things. Week #2 draw, cut out pictures, or write 5 of your favorite things to do as a family. Week #3 draw, cut out pictures, or write 5 goals or things you would like to do. Then the next week they took all the pictures and compared them and said, “as a family we like to do……the same and we want to……do these the same.” From there they wrote their family mission statement.
For the Tanner Family Reunion this summer they have titled it “Wave Your Flag”. They did a video of kids at sunrise on Tablerock waving a flag so it is silhouetted. They did a video of kids on California beach waving a flag. They used the Young Women Value flags. They did a clip of each grandchild saying their name and a value. Then for the family reunion each family is to create their own family flag that represents them.
Kids have to feel a part of it to be excited about it.
Ponder: D&C 123:16-17
16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
It’s the small things we do that keep the family ship straight. With cheerfulness we need to spend one on one time with a child. With cheerfulness we need to get up early. Do the things that are within your power and watch the arm of God be revealed.
2 comments:
I was really excited and felt motivated to follow the homework for week 2. I decided that I was going to really try to go to bed early(at least before 11:00pm) and wake up early(5:30am). I did o.k going to bed early, but waking up early was really difficult.
By the Saturday after the Parenting class I was pretty disappointed in myself. I have been wanting to get my life back in order ever since the baby came(5 months ago), and a lot of things have not felt right. I have been missing something.
I believe the PROMISE that Sis Tanner expressed to us, which was: If you start your day off right by waking early and preparing yourself to be the parent, by completing your prayers, scripture study and getting dressed before the kids wake up: YOU WILL be able to accomplish all that you need to do and more. I took this to heart and challenged it each morning.
I am not a morning person. I guess I sometimes treat my kids like its their fault that I have to wake up early. I also have endless thoughts in the morning of ,"What are you doing, your tired, get back in bed", and "I barely got any sleep, if I don't get more sleep, I won't be able to get anything done."
Sunday I fasted that I would be able to wake up early to prepare myself to be a good mother.
So Monday comes along and during the day sometime I threw my back out. It was getting pretty painful so I went to bed early. Tuesday morning when my alarm clock went off on my cell phone, I immediately turned it to snooze. My body was hurting pretty bad because of my back and while moving to get somewhat comfortable, I dropped my cell phone on the floor. My husband works nights and had only gone to bed an hour or two before. Knowing that my alarm clock would soon go off again and disturb my hubby, I rolled off the bed onto my knees and grabbed my phone. I checked the time and it was 5:31am. As I tried to get back into bed for more sleep my back was hurting really bad. The more I would push upwards to get into bed, the more it hurt. I went back to the ground and as I did I thought to myself,"You are already on the ground, just say your prayers". So I did and without contemplating getting back into bed, I waddled over to the bathroom and started getting ready. I did a couple more things around the house and then woke up my kids.
After being told, ONLY ONCE, they got up and went straight to the couch. We had good scripture time and prayer. They then went off to get ready and there was no complaining through most of it. My 7 yr old even asked me to do her hair(which rarely happens).
So the two oldest went off to school and luckily the two youngest decided to go back to sleep. With peace in the house I spent the next hour studying my scriptures(which I haven't done since before I got pregnant). It was heavenly. I was feeling the spirit very strongly, and thanking Heavenly Father for the teaching moment he gave me. It was as if He was the parent showing His child how it is done. That it is possible to be happy in the morning,and that the kids and I can get ready and prepared the way we know we should. It seems like such a simple thing, but it stands out so strongly in my mind and heart and I'm so thankful to know that He loves me, He knows what I am going through, what I'm struggling with and what I need to do to make things better. He is there to help me each step of the way.
I am so thankful for all that Sis Tanner is teaching me to do. I truly feel that I can be a great mom if I continue to improve myself in the ways that are shown to me.
So, I prepared for my FHE lesson to be on making the Family Mission Statement on Monday. I was excited about it, but with preparing and eating dinner and then having to go to my mother-in-laws birthday party right after, we were unable to have FHE that night. Is it o.k, sometimes, to have FHE on Tuesday, or on Sunday if you know ahead of time? If on Monday evening we had some other stuff that needed to be scheduled?
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