30 Days of Teaching Boys to Be Kind - Part 2

This has been a good week. I literally have not heard my boys fight once.

Not once. I can barely believe it myself.

This week, we've been on track with them of picking out their cards and doing nice things for each other, us as their parents and for strangers. It's funny how quickly you can change when your focus is not 100% on yourself. When you try to make others happy, you become happier too.

I've also had my oldest son, Ashton, each morning looking up bible verses. He's taking the time while eating breakfast to locate the verses and he's writing them word-for-word. And then we talk for a few minutes about what it means and how he can translate it to his day.

I had another thought this morning about being kind - that it is most certainly taught by the way my husband and I treat each other. Of course, as a married couple - we don't always use the nicest words towards each other. But we should. He's my partner, my best friend - why do we sometimes feel as though we can speak negative words over our spouse? Say things to them that we would never say to some random person walking on the street.

The challenge of this week is to continue having the boys do their "Kind Cards" as they have been known as this week, continue with our daily bible verses and in addition to all of that....my husband and I need to make sure that we are only using kind words towards each other...and to our children.

If you're a parent - you know how hard it can all be. Things get stressed - you have 50 million things to do tonight, and  you still have no idea what you're fixing for supper....and everyone is complaining that their hungry (at least that's what my nights are like sometimes!!)

What is it......if you don't have anything nice today, don't say anything at all?

That will our motto this week.

By the way - here's the second week of "Kind Cards", fill in the blank ones to suit your family!

Enjoy!

-Sam

30 Days of Teaching Boys to Be Kind

Boys are rough and tumble.

Boys are dirty and sometimes smelly.

They're loud and sweet and sticky.

I watch my boys play and see them wrestle with each other and love on each other...and sometimes hate on each other. I know that all of this is pretty normal. But when I really started paying attention to how they are treating each other when they are "hating" each other, I quickly realized that it was not normal.

Wrestling sometimes turns too rough. Hands hit, words get sharp. These sharp words, each time they get mad or frustrated with each other were really starting to bother me. I hate having to constantly remind them of using "nice words".  To be kind to each other.

I thought that maybe my boys....or just boys in general....might have a hard time knowing how to be kind to each other. Do they know how to say kind words to each other without hitting? Is there a way for my son to say "I love you" without wrestling his brother to the ground?

While boys will always be rough and tumble...and they should be. We as parents can also teach them to be kind loving boys - which will translate to manhood. To teach them to be caring men, fathers, and husbands.

 

I decided to challenge my boys to 30 days of kindness. Each day doing something for each other, us as their parents or to a complete stranger...to show kindness. And to not expect anything in return.

 

How would this change them? How would this change the relationship between brothers? Of course there will always be disagreements and times when you don't like each other...but would "learning to be kind" change how they act during those times?        

For this challenge, I printed out 30 cards for them. I wrote things they could do to show kindness and love for each other...

- Help your brother pick up his room during chores

- Ask your brother how his day was.

- Tell your brother how proud you are of him

 

We'll also be spending each night of the next 30 days reading through our bibles, searching for verses about being kind and loving those around us. Here is the first list that we'll be working with: Knowing Jesus

Below you'll find a free printable of the set of cards. Sit down with your kids (of course, this is perfect for both boys and girls) and have them come up with a few things that they can do for each other to show love and kindness.  Make sure and come back next week for an update and the next set of cards.

 

Enjoy......Sam

 

 

 

 

Teaching Our Kids to Serve Others

From HomeGrown Hospitality 

I....very recently.....(last week) have started serving as a Sunday School teacher to the 2nd graders at our church. I found that it was a lot of fun and really rewarding.

The lesson plan for last week was teaching kids how to serve others.

Once Sunday School had started, kids from all grade levels walk into one larger room.

There was trash all over the floor.

The kids filed in and took their seats around the room.

The youth pastor came in, purposely tripped on a piece of the trash and asked

"How did all this trash get in here!?"

He went on to ask the kids if they had noticed all this trash laying around when they came in the room.

Most said they had.

He asked why none of them had thought to pick it up.

Since...trash should not be one the floor.

None of the kids had much to say as to why they didn't pick it up.

Including my own son.

What hit me the most was at the end of the youth pastors talk with the kids, he said:

"Every time you do something to help someone else...without thought of how you will be rewarded, you are honoring God. Think about how you can honor God every day."

It made me think about how I serve others and making sure that I'm teaching my kids the importance of serving others too.

Showing them how to honor God.

Here are a few passages that I've been reading about serving others....

Romans 12: 6-8

Matthew 5:14-16

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven."

Philippians 2:1-4

"Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interests of others."

Mark 10:45

The scripture goes on and on about how Jesus wanted us to serve each other, to think of others before we think of ourselves and to follow the gifts of serving that were given to us.

My heart is serving the less fortunate. That's where I find my joy. I feel like I do a number of things to serve others. I don't find myself seeking out opportunities like I should, there is certainly more that I could be doing.

Ashton (my oldest) has a huge heart for those that are sick.

My youngest, Colton, is 4 and way too young to know what his gift is yet...but it certainly won't hurt anything to show him how the rest of us can serve others every day.

By showing them how their dad and I can serve others can help them discover their own gifts.

I already have a few ideas in mind of things they could do...

- Pick up trash found in our streets or sidewalks while we're walking around the neighborhood

- Helping sick friends with meals

- Mowing the yard of a neighbor that's having a rough time
Find 30 more ideas from Meet Penny

I'm linking up to these amazing blogs:

HOH, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Dolan Diaries, Beyond the Picket Fence, Live Laugh Rowe, Living Well Spending Less, The 36th Ave, Truly Lovely, Sincerely Paula, 504 Main, Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons, Chic on a Shoestring, Creative Geekery