Now I am not saying we are perfect parents.  Not a chance.  You see, we have our own parenting areas that need attention.  Yelling, however, just isn’t one of them.

When my kids were much younger, I remember one time in particular when I did scream at them.  It wasn’t a little scream.  I didn’t just merely raise my voice.

I… screamed.

Believe me, it wasn’t my finest mommy moment.

We were running late for preschool and I was desperately trying to make up time.  I’m usually a very punctual person, so tardiness sends me into a tizzy.  My kids, however, were not on the same timetable.  (Are they ever?)

Well when I lost it, one of my kids crawled under the kitchen table in fear and the other one broke into tears and ran into their room.

Now running farther behind schedule, my anger intensified and I began to stomp around the house slamming doors and sighing loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

Really?

Unbelievable.

As we finally pulled out of the driveway, the tension in the car was thick.  There was no conversation.  No one was laughing.  There weren’t any joy-filled voices rising up from the back seat.

I was beginning to feel like momma-zilla.

The Holy Spirit gently whispered this verse into my heart:

“Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, and it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

Gulp.

My shoulders slumped and I started to cry realizing I reacted in the complete opposite spirit.  This wasn’t the kind of mom I wanted to be.  This wasn’t the kind of mom my kids needed.

But then something cool happened.

The Holy Spirit whispered something else into my heart. “Carey… this is the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about saying sorry.”

I pulled over, turned around in my seat, and told my kids how very sorry I was for screaming at them.  I told them how valuable they were to me and how my actions didn’t show that.

I asked them to forgive me.

You know what?  That simple act made a world of difference for my kids.

• Their eyes brightened.
• They began to smile.
• The atmosphere in the car changed.

Sisters, if we are trying to raise Godly kids… we need to teach them the importance of those two powerful words, “I’m sorry.”

They have the ability to make right what our words or actions make wrong.

Not only do we need to ask for forgiveness when we do things or say things to hurt our children, but we need to make sure we align our actions, too.

In other words, we can’t continue with the same hurtful activities and assume just saying sorry makes it all better.

When we apologize to our children for our shortcomings as parents, we are modeling the importance of asking for forgiveness and the importance of giving it. 

We need to train our kids to live out Ephesians 4:32 which says “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

What a set-up for success.

Saying sorry and forgiving each other is a common practice in our home these days.  And believe me, we get lots of practice.

What is it like in your home?

Hire help when possible. Early in my work-at-home career, I asked a successful Realtor® this question, “If you had one piece of advice to give someone who works for herself, what would it be? She was so certain of her answer she didn’t even pause to think. “Never do yourself what you can pay someone else to do,” she responded.

I asked her to explain. “I’m a Realtor®,” she said. “And the best use of my time is listing and selling houses. I hire someone to do everything else I need done.” A graphic designer creates all her mailings for her, and a mailing house applies the postage and sorts the brochures according to postal regulations. An assistant sets up showings and confirms appointments. She focuses on securing listings, working with buyers, and selling properties. And that’s how she has become successful.

As my business has grown, I’ve worked hard to identify what I can outsource—and that’s not easy for someone who has trouble delegating! Since focusing on this concept, I’ve added a freelance web designer, graphic designer, marketer, and virtual assistant to my team. Using their skills, talents and abilities, I’ve been able to meet my workload, expand my business and reduce my stress level. Yes, it costs. But I remember something my father taught me: It takes money to make money. I believe I’m more effective because I’ve added these professionals to my team. Though I couldn’t do it when I first started my business, it’s a tactic to keep in mind as you grow your business.

Enjoy the journey. It’s not easy to work from home. When I start to feel overwhelmed and stressed, I choose to focus my energy on the privilege it is to do work I love with the flexibility I have. This helps reground me. I also remind myself that life is too short to be miserable. I re-pledge to continue being both “mom” and “CEO” only for as long as I enjoy it. When the joy is gone, I know it will be time to do something else. Until then, I’m committed to learning new ways to successfully grow both a family and a business under one roof.

About the Author:
Mary Byers is a professional speaker and the author of Making Work at Home Work: Successfully Growing a Family and a Business Under One Roof. To learn more about starting or accelerating your own entrepreneurial journey, read Mary’s blog at www.makingworkathomework.com.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  -Hebrews 12:11

Like many parents, especially as a busy CWAHM, I struggled to practice the spiritual disciplines in my own life and found it overwhelming at times to instill such habits in my children’s daily lives. But now that my three sons and numerous foster children are grown, I can see the harvest of righteousness that such training produces. It began with a determination to make Deuteronomy 6:5 my guiding scripture in their lives.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

In my upcoming blogs we will look at how to teach our kids to practice different spiritual disciplines, such as study, solitude, confession, fasting starting this week with prayer.

Prayer

Prayer is the starting point for all spiritual disciplines. The disciples, seeing the power in Jesus’ prayer life asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). We forget that prayer must be taught and doesn’t just happen for our children.

Here are a few things to think about when you teach your kids to pray.

• Pray beyond the usual times of meals and bedtime. This will teach your children they can communicate with God throughout their day.
• Pray with your children often. My children often tease that someday I will cause a wreck with my spontaneous praying out loud while driving. They learned, however, that they could pray anywhere, anytime. Don’t worry when your toddler or preschooler mimics your words. He will soon find his own expressions toward God.
• Make prayer posters of pictures of people and situations to pray for. Allowing your children to choose what they want to pray about connects them to God in a real way.
• Demonstrate, coax, and encourage, but never force older children to pray. Encourage your child to journal prayers or list the things he wants to talk to God about in his quiet times. My husband left notes, especially for our older children, on the bathroom mirrors encouraging them to pray each morning.
• Ask your children to pray for you in specific ways—situations in your career or a personal struggle, such as anger or impatience. This will help your child feel that his prayers are valued.
• Rejoice and acknowledge when prayers are answered. Keep a family prayer journal, recording your prayers and making note of how God answers—including when he answers in ways we didn’t expect or desire.

Share ways you teach your kids to pray.

About the Author:
Carla Williams, writer, speaker, and mentor has writing credits in curriculum, devotions, articles, and books. She and her husband have been in ministry for over thirty years. Carla now enjoys working closely with her family in the Christian publishing industry. Her website can be found at www.thespiritualmom.com.