Is it going to snow this winter?
That may not be an important question to you, but it’s a serious question being asked by my two six-year-olds. They keep asking, “Daddy is it ever going to snow?” They were spoiled from last year when we got almost 30 inches of snow. My sister, Kim snapped this shot of Katy, Kandace, Taylor and Leah from a big snow last year…
This year…
Well, that’s it. A dusting a couple of weeks ago.
You know we are in a La Nina year. That simply means that the conditions in the Pacific Ocean are not favorable for our weather patterns to be “snowy.” Last year we had a blocking high pressure off the coast of Nova Scotia. Not so this year. You might have heard that Seattle is being hammered by snow this week. This is very unusual. Interestingly, Mt. Rainier, in Washington state…
has a summit of 14,411 feet is expected to get over 100 inches of snow over the next five days. Wow!
So, the weather patterns are just not syncing up for us this winter. And you know, that’s ok. Because you can’t have a snowy year every winter. My power bill has certainly been easier to handle versus last year. But, back to the question at hand from Clara and Andrew. “Will it snow?” Well, let’s see what the almanac has to say.
See those highlighted circles? That indicates a chance of rain or snow on each of those dates in February. Now does that mean it will snow? Maybe…maybe not. But, it’s interesting to look at and contemplate. Can we trust almanacs to give us accurate weather forecasts? Not day-to-day, certainly, but if they hit the pattern right, they can get within a week or a few days of these events. So, we’ll see.
As an aside, I asked one very good and accurate weather forecaster from a Winston-Salem, NC TV station if he thought we’d get any this year and he thinks we “might have a shot at one good one.” I hope for Clara and Andrew’s sake, he’s right. But, the neat thing is that “man” can do nothing about this. God controls the weather patterns 100% of the time. Isn’t that great? Ever thought about what it would be like if man controlled the weather patterns. You talk about big-time arguments. Wow!
I wanted to show you a picture of something I saw at church last night. Take a look…
That’s Aaron Hudler washing dishes with his father, Jerry Hudler looking on. Way to go Aaron! He jumped in there and is washing those pots like a man! I hear ya! And I love it! I love the fact that Jerry expects his son to work. He expects him to have a work ethic. So do I! Here’s Andrew working in a blur vacuuming the rug at the office building we clean each week…
Here’s Andrew and Clara sweeping in the warehouse bathroom where we clean each week.
Is hard work going to kill them? No way! Will it make them better? You better believe it will. So, why is it that so few parents expect their kids to do anything?
Can I ask you a couple of questions? How many times should you have to ask for something to be done? When should you expect obedience?
Let me give you some answers right from Scripture (many Proverbs and Ephesians 6:1)
- Immediately (not later or in a few minutes)
- Completely (not partially)
- Dutifully (with a good attitude)
It has been said: “It is right that children should obey their parents and no further question need be asked, no further reason for obeying need be sought.”
I believe the following:
- Do not do for your children what they should do for themselves
- If they dirty something, they should clean it
- If they’re old enough to “get it out,” they are old enough to “put it up”
- If they leave a door open, they should go back and close it
- If they turn something on, they should turn it off
- Don’t bail them out when they’ve acted irresponsibly
- Don’t state for them time after time the established guidelines for chores and standards of behavior…consequences must follow quickly
- Don’t wake them daily when they are old enough to set an alarm clock or you will create dependence on you and they will blame you for not getting them up
- Don’t do homework assignments for them
- Don’t pay for their mistakes…if they “break it,” they pay for it
This is tough stuff though. Are you willing to do it? Am I? You know there are basically three types of parents.
#1 Permissive-Doing everything for the child. You want to be their friend. But what you’ve become is the child’s slave and they run the house. You are constantly snow plowing your child’s road for them. You do everything for them and you are afraid to tell them no. You are running a Holiday Inn instead of a home. In essence, “the inmates are running the asylum.”
Permissive Parents allow “child-run” homes and will be heard saying things like:
- I can’t make that for dinner at our house, the kids just won’t eat it.
- I prepare meals in two batches—one for my husband and me and one for the kids.
- We can’t have that family over to the house, their children are so much younger than ours that ours wouldn’t enjoy them.
- We can’t go there, the kids would get bored.
- We can’t take our kids into the church service, they’d never last.
- We won’t be able to go, our little Princess just doesn’t do well in those situations.
- We’ll probably be changing teachers or possibly schools because our little Bobby doesn’t enjoy Mrs. So & So.
- Junior refuses to…
- Susie just won’t put up with…
- I don’t want her to hate me…
- You bribe with treats and TV…
Remember, whatever we allow in moderation our children will take to excess!
#2 Authoritarian—You as a parent are always right and you “Lord” over the child with an iron fist and run the home like a dictator. There is fear and worry as the parent barks out orders. The child never feels secure in this environment and internalizes fear and doubt. Children in this environment stay in the cocoon and some can even become bitter, angry and violent in later years.
#3 Authoritative and Responsive—this is the parent that finds that middle ground and has realistic expectations based on the child’s age, temperament and maturity. This is the parent that loves the child unconditionally, but has expectations of them nonetheless. They are responsive to disobedience without reacting in anger and hostility. There are consequences for disobedience that are fair and expressed ahead of time. The discipline is consistent and loving. There are no entitlements in the home and there are no Holiday Inns. This parent knows the secret about what all children want and it’s this: All children, by and large, want is to please their parents and they want their parent’s respect. Short and sweet, they “want” us and want us to be proud of them.
Perhaps you are a combination of these three. I find myself in that category, if I’m honest. Truth is, I really do want to follow the Lord in all His precepts and all His ways in raising my children. With much prayer, self-discipline and hard work…it can be done.
