Couch Time

We started attending a parenting group last week at our church: Growing Kids God's Way. I've happily admitted previous' posts that I do not pretend to be an expert in parenting. Ha! Hardly. My boys are five years old and down, and we have many more years ahead of parenting learning curves, challenges, and celebrations. But, Eli and I both want to be the best parents that we can be. To be intentional in raising our (currently) boys to be strong, kind, courteous, caring, God-fearing, manly little men. Big men, eventually. I feel that having three boys to raise is a huge responsibility - and it is not one I take lightly. I don't like to look around our culture and see absentee fathers, teenage boys who have no idea how to respect authority or how to treat women ... it is sobering indeed. And therefore, I look at my three boys, and although I know Eli and I will make many many mistakes along the road of being parents, we are intentional in learning how to parent better, how to raise our children as best we can, with wisdom from the best Father out there. But, I endeavor within my heart to raise men that I am proud to call my sons - I will always love them and be proud of them ... but years down the road to see them going further than Eli and I have gone ... what a dream!

Back to the class: 18 weeks of learning; 18 weeks of maybe changing thought processes and methods of training ... who knows all it will entail! Two down - 16 to go. But last night, the focus was on the solidity of the marriage relationship and the affect on your children. It was awesome. And I appreciated how it also spoke to single parents as well. I took away a lot from the video and discussion. AND, we are implementing a new "time" in our house. Couch time. A time where Eli and I sit on the couch, and for 5-15 minutes, have time for us to catch up, to talk - whatever! While the boys are right there. They can play on the floor, they can run around a bit, but give them a physical, tangible picture that Eli and I are solid. We care for each other. We are the beginning of the family unit, and they are welcomed in. That they can rest in the security of our marriage - that we have chosen each other, and no matter what life throws as a curveball, we continue to chose each other. They need never fear that we won't be together.

In the past, if we want a few quiet minutes, we'll let the boys watch a short tv show while we catch up after a long day, so this is changing that - I KNOW it will be a challenge with a busy baby, and a 5 year old what wants to be in the middle of e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. But I see the purpose behind it. And I am eager to implement it. I know I won't absorb all I need to know in the next 16 weeks, but I am excited to really see things from different perspectives - to work on not parenting on the fly but to think ahead, to train ahead of times of conflict and correction, and raise these little men.