Expectations For Our Kids

I really enjoy reading other blogs. While there are many reasons to read them, one of my favorites is to get ideas for my own family. Sometimes I read something and think, "Now why didn't I think of that?" Sometimes I read something and think, "Ooohhhh....I like that!" And sometimes someone writes something that seems to fit me to a tee. That happened today.

I was reading Raising Five where Katherine wrote the following paragraph about her expectations for the school year.


Not all years have been this fortunate. We tell our kids they are responsible for the work, whether or not their teacher appears to have taught the material. They are also responsible to be respectful of those
teachers by virtue of their position, even if they do not appear worthy of their respect. Furthermore, we also tell them we wield the authority to assign homework, even if the teacher does not. Some years have tested this more than others, but in general, the kids are learning to get the most out of school, and I'm learning when to get involved (rarely) and when to just watch and wait.

Brenna isn't even headed to Kindergarten this year, but these are the expectations I intend to have when the time comes. Michael and I have determined that we want our family to be a blessing to others. We try to train our kids to be respectful of other people and the things that belong to other people. Brenna's personality makes this easy for her. Daniel....still too young to tell. I think Katherine's perspective fits well with the goals we've already set. I like it when someone puts into words what I think (or would think) about a particular subject!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Colossians 3:23