One thing I’ve always stayed firm on is keeping my children young minded and protecting their innocence while it’s in our power to.
I’ve seen so many little girls (from this generation and the next) loose their innocence in a sense of trying to be grownups before their time.
From the things they participate in, what they wear, how they even dance and what’s mostly sad is what their parents allow them to do.
I am raising my own five children. Just as I have a right to raise them how I see best, so does the next parent. I’ve learned how to gently ask questions to make someone think about their choices instead of just barging in with
I think you should do this. Why would you let her do that? If that were my child...
I remember growing up and our neighbors used to tell our parents when we were getting into trouble or doing something we knew was wrong. That was a time when people weren’t afraid to speak up and help each other raise their children. The parents receiving the information were very appreciative and they proceeded to deal with their children as needed.
Nowadays if you speak up or tell a parent something about their child they may not like to hear, you most likely will get a different (more negative) reaction.
We are living in a different time where things that once were safe to do are no longer that way. There are too many upsetting things happening to children and we as parents have to do our best to keep them safe.
One of those things I think is helping is keeping my little girls in check with their age. We teach them how to dress appropriately, not revealing their personal areas because this could entice predators to make a move and try to take or harm our little girls.
Any type of dress up or playtime my girls do stays in the home. When they want to do each other’s nails or wear mommy’s clothes and high heels they know this is a specific allotted time given to them throughout our homeschooling day. It’s a great way for them to take a break and just use their imagination.
It’s funny because my 11 year old loves to dress up my 2 year old. This is what you see from the photos. Vice versa my 11 year old let’s her little sister dress her up as well. They treat each other as little dress up dolls and it is really sweet to see.
My 11 year old had a birthday sleepover party and wanted to get some cheap press on nails to have fun with her friends. When she realized she had some leftover she asked if she could put them on her sister during their play/dress up time. My 2 year old was thrilled as you can see her showing off her play nails...
She even showed us she could hold the cell phone like mommy (cover pic).
What was really refreshing about this day was watching her try to play with the nails on. She kept trying to pick up things, turn knobs and even adjust her clothing. Each time she tried she had a difficult time and just ended up sitting down looking pretty. 😄
Within 30 minutes we found the nails on the floor and she was back in her room playing as usual. 😂
The innocence! ☺️
She said
you can keep those nails I’m going back to doing what I do best...being a playful 2 year old.
I love that my girls can have fun and play dress up safely in their own home knowing it is considered playtime and they are not allowed to wear some of the things they dress up in outside of our home.
They say it takes a village to raise a child
But that does not work the way it used to anymore
When the kids were younger, I used to teach them these little things too
Now they are teens, it's still trying to protect them
Hey, sounds like there's plenty of sister fun going on :D
Totally agree with you @kaerpediem! It doesn't work that way anymore
This makes me sad.
I am one who still believes it takes a village. Thankfully we have loved ones and family in our lives that we can count on to help us when needed :)
It saddens me that this has changed so much for many others.
Yes! I think in every stage of their lives we are going to do our best to protect them.
Most certainly! They really have a great time together :)
This is interesting to me because I'm a huge believer in the power of play, youthful energy, curiosity, and children's non-judgmental approach to learning and living.
And since we all began as children, technically, those approaches and that power still remains within all of us, it hasn't magically disappeared.
That said, one of the best things about how kids approach life --their willingness to experiment with anything even if it's 'bad'-- is often trained out of them by well-meaning parents who make everything that they'd normally experiment with 'off-limits', thus preventing them from learning anything about those (usually taboo) topics.
And it's weird balance, because I'm not suggesting we let every child run amok with zero guidance or discipline, but I'm also not a fan of how much of their curiosity is stamped out by well-meaning parents.
My point is, I had absolutely amazing parents, like... they raised me and my 3 siblings super well. It wasn't perfect, but they could give a masterclass on parenting. Because of my own upbringing and the examples my parents set, I end up thinking a lot about other parents, kids, and families I meet. And I often have advice. Advice is kind of my thing. Teaching is my thing. But I usually just hold it back because I can tell it won't be received well. A number of parents these days are either not open to learning from someone who 'doesnt have kids' or because they give those 'negative reactions' you mention to anyone.
Anyway, I'm not sure I had my usual cohesive points with all this rambling, but I just wanted to say that your post got me thinking, and I appreciate it. And it inspired me to express, and I appreciate that too.
Your girls are amazing judging from these stories and photos. And as long as you feel happy and aligned with your choices as a parent, that's likely all that really matters when it comes down to it.
Thanks for taking the time to read and share your input on this subject matter. I believe I got the gist of what you were saying and based on your latest guide I read from the story of Emma and how her parents raised her, I have more of a sense on your view of freedom ;)
I am open to listening to other’s opinions and suggestions but very careful considering that we are a Christian family. According to the Word we have been given stewardship over our children making it our job and responsibility to raise them in a way that pleases our Lord. We teach, train, provide, guide and protect. We allow our children to explore their curiosities but with boundaries that protect them (mentally and physically) and help keep them on the straight and narrow.
We expose our children to things that’s going on in the world because we know that one day they will learn about it and have to deal with real life situations. The thing is, we’d rather them learn these things from us, their loving parents where they will receive truth and not be deceived by lies. We also allow them to make mistakes and learn from them (this part is always hard for me because I always want to jump in and save them but they must learn).
I myself grew up in a very controlled and restricted home and guess what? I rebelled when I became a teenager. We don’t want that for our children. We don’t want to shelter them so much that later on they rebel and throw out the things we taught them.
This was one of the reasons we decided to homeschool to give them a solid Christian foundation. Thankfully and gratefully our children are very well mannered, respectful and love the Lord. Our family, friends and neighbors always comment at how they are different from how they normally see kids act these days (all Glory to God).
It really comes down to morals and what you believe is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Our (my family’s) guide and how we determine this is from the Bible.
It’s cool this post got you thinking and inspired you to express yourself and your thoughts ;)
Thanks for this epic reply (as usual, lol!)
Hahah, yes, I suppose the censorship guide, though fictionalized, would reveal a few of my views, lmao.
And I'm glad you're careful. Raising a child is quite the task, and one I love seeing taken responsibly.
I was raised by two Christian parents and they taught me so many incredible Christian concepts and teachings. We had bible flashcards, and contests to remember the disciples, books, and hymns. Chapter and verse were quoted in so many situations, and we were taught to follow Jesus's teachings and love ourselves as we love our neighbors.
We also weren't allowed to watch The Simpsons or MTV because they were 'bad influences', etc.
I say all this just to give some background. I believe I had one of the most blessed childhoods out of anyone I've ever met. I believe my parents are top-tier. Just incredible humans who did an epically good job raising me. (Just chatted with them yesterday, #blessed) And though they and I may have different interpretations of 'The Word' now, I totally respect the way they raised me.
Similarly, I respect the way you raise yours. Your approach sounds very similar to my own upbringing (which you've hopefully gathered, I rave about), so I hope none of my ramblings came off as critical or unsupportive. They were ultimately meant to thank you for such a thoughtful, conscious, intentional approach.
It takes a baller to dedicate time and energy to homeschooling, and to balance freedom and discipline in a healthy way. It feels like you're doing that, not that my opinion should matter. :)
Like I said in my previous as long as you feel happy, aligned with your choices as a parent, (and right with God) that's all that really matters.
Keep up the amazing job, and thanks for the thoughtful writings. 🙏
Lol it’s always a pleasure!
Hahaha yes as I was reading it I was thinking “yep, I now know more about his view on things.” 😂
It’s not surprising you were raised in a Christian home. Your compassion and love for people shines (I know where that comes from 😉).
It sounds like your parents were really incredible at raising you. What a blessing that you are still in touch with them.
I appreciate that. No, your
ramblingscomment didn’t come off that way at all. I honestly just take advantage of opportunities where I can share my faith and why I do things the way I do it. I just wanted to share about that with you and I thank you for receiving it well. Sometimes my passion could come off as me yelling at you (well if there’s such a thing as yelling kindly I guess I am lol) but it’s just I get so eager and excited to talk about things that it may seem that way.Another great sum up. 🙂
Thank you ~
Seconded, and lol my views are showing 🤣
I'm sure my parents would be thrilled to hear that I'm able to shine out some love and compassion. I know I am. ;)
And good for you for grabbing opportunities to share your passion, the world benefits from that I'd say, even if it requires a little finesse and clarification in a follow up comment, LOL, right?
I'm a huge fan of quality sum-ups, heheh. Thank you too! 🙏
Absolutely!