Weekday Devotionals
Devotional by Samantha Mosca
1 TIMOTHY 4:15(ESV) Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
THOUGHT:
In the last 18 years of parenting, I’ve read ALOT on parenting strategies. How to set boundaries with kids, boys specifically. Because let’s face it, boy and girls are pretty different. Not only have I read, I’ve talked to many many moms, dads, aunts, uncles, friends, co-workers, watched videos, taken note even in movies(because if you have not been, you will be, faced with a moment or 2 of pure desperation)..you name it I’ve been a pretty open book to the many faces of mom & son relationships ups and downs.
I have one friend we have been sharing our ups and down for years and we joke light heartedly that her son is the Olympic Gold medalist in manipulation. After much tried and failed strategies She learned she often needed to go to her bedroom to exit the conversation, and sometimes she had to lock her door.
He’d developed a habit of following her around the house, demanding to be heard.
She worked on consequences for when he continued to violate a boundary with her. He quickly discovered banging on her door resulted in her logging on to AT&T and shutting down his phone’s abilities 100% of the time.
He must’ve been experimenting with a new strategy when he followed her to her room one day and began knocking gently, softly without pausing.
It was this slow, steady, obnoxious knock that wouldn’t stop.
She jumped in the shower to avoid the sound. He heard water running, stopped and returned fifteen minutes later with a last-ditch effort. He waited until he could hear her moving around the room and then dramatically yelled, “what kind of mother won’t listen to her own son?”
My friend and I looked at each for just a moment after she said that and burst out laughing, because I was the one saying for years that my son was going to be in the drama club!
So, when Pastor Pete started talking about setting boundaries, specifically as a parent, I was curious to see how much biblically was going to line up with all I’ve heard and seen over the years.
The first item on his list was “The best Yes is a No”….
Sometimes as a mom you may feel this want to protect at all costs, and that is ok, if your childs life is in danger, but saying yes just to avoid or diffuse an outburst/meltdown/attitude, is just setting up a trap for your future adult son, or daughter.
My friend was giving her son a gift in staying consistent with the practice of disengagement. By saying no, walking away, letting her words settle in and take hold.
FINAL THOUGHT: If we always refer to how Jesus interacted with people, people like you, me and our kids, we can never go wrong.
This week: I’d like you to reflect on 1 Timothy 4:15, specifically, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them”.
Do some research, how did Jesus interact with people, people who we would consider quite hard to talk to. Then start a conversation with your kid(s), talk out some ways that He was able to meet them where they wer. You know, we can learn as much from our kids as they do from us.
Love you Thrive family- Sam
1 TIMOTHY 4:15(ESV) Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
THOUGHT:
In the last 18 years of parenting, I’ve read ALOT on parenting strategies. How to set boundaries with kids, boys specifically. Because let’s face it, boy and girls are pretty different. Not only have I read, I’ve talked to many many moms, dads, aunts, uncles, friends, co-workers, watched videos, taken note even in movies(because if you have not been, you will be, faced with a moment or 2 of pure desperation)..you name it I’ve been a pretty open book to the many faces of mom & son relationships ups and downs.
I have one friend we have been sharing our ups and down for years and we joke light heartedly that her son is the Olympic Gold medalist in manipulation. After much tried and failed strategies She learned she often needed to go to her bedroom to exit the conversation, and sometimes she had to lock her door.
He’d developed a habit of following her around the house, demanding to be heard.
She worked on consequences for when he continued to violate a boundary with her. He quickly discovered banging on her door resulted in her logging on to AT&T and shutting down his phone’s abilities 100% of the time.
He must’ve been experimenting with a new strategy when he followed her to her room one day and began knocking gently, softly without pausing.
It was this slow, steady, obnoxious knock that wouldn’t stop.
She jumped in the shower to avoid the sound. He heard water running, stopped and returned fifteen minutes later with a last-ditch effort. He waited until he could hear her moving around the room and then dramatically yelled, “what kind of mother won’t listen to her own son?”
My friend and I looked at each for just a moment after she said that and burst out laughing, because I was the one saying for years that my son was going to be in the drama club!
So, when Pastor Pete started talking about setting boundaries, specifically as a parent, I was curious to see how much biblically was going to line up with all I’ve heard and seen over the years.
The first item on his list was “The best Yes is a No”….
Sometimes as a mom you may feel this want to protect at all costs, and that is ok, if your childs life is in danger, but saying yes just to avoid or diffuse an outburst/meltdown/attitude, is just setting up a trap for your future adult son, or daughter.
My friend was giving her son a gift in staying consistent with the practice of disengagement. By saying no, walking away, letting her words settle in and take hold.
FINAL THOUGHT: If we always refer to how Jesus interacted with people, people like you, me and our kids, we can never go wrong.
This week: I’d like you to reflect on 1 Timothy 4:15, specifically, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them”.
Do some research, how did Jesus interact with people, people who we would consider quite hard to talk to. Then start a conversation with your kid(s), talk out some ways that He was able to meet them where they wer. You know, we can learn as much from our kids as they do from us.
Love you Thrive family- Sam
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