The Reward For Time Well Spent

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. – Psalm 127:3

My project this week is staining my back deck. I worked on it all day Saturday and didn’t even finish the railing.

Granted, it is a very large deck, but what took so much time was slowly and carefully painting around each metal spindle, then wiping off the redwood stain that mistakenly ended up on the black poles. The tedious work required a steady hand, a keen eye, a strong dose of patience and attention to detail. Kind of like mothering.

When I get sloppy as a mom, I notice my kids don’t shine in their usual ways. When I get lazy, I let sassy talk slide, I give undue life to negative attitudes, and I leave my kids to figure things out for themselves when I really should give them guidance instead.

But when I am purposeful and intentional in the way I raise my children, they behave better, are more obedient, and frankly more fun to be around. I enjoy being a mom more when I take the time to do a good job with it, just like I know my family will enjoy our deck once I’ve finished taking my time with it.

In what ways do you notice your behavior affecting your kids?