Friday morning, November 17, 2006

Friday, November 17, 2006

So the morning started out fairly well, I slept another 11 hours again so I feel like I’m making up for lost time. I’m still able to walk around the house without the cane and am very thankful and encouraged.

After reading an email from a good friend, I re-read my morning email from yesterday and feel that I did not portray my thought very well, as they pertained to me and the kids and discipline, so without getting to far into a proverbial “hole”, I’d like to clarify my thoughts of yesterday.

Our home is the farthest from some kind of rogue military camp/school where the kids obey or are punished. CC also has their complete respect as well as mine and all of us operate very well as a family and CC and I as a team. Since the births of Missy and Joshua, my role has increasingly been the secondary and final stop in the response avenue of communications, in that I seldom interject into conversations that I was not a part of unless I heard phrasing, tone of voice or what I felt to be inappropriate inflection on the part of the children speaking to each other or to CC. I feel that today’s culture and society are increasingly breeding disrespect and creating an environment of desensitization in regards to respect and honor of parents and adults; from schools to family structures.
So with all that being said, my thoughts on the homestead are that our children and children who visit must abide by the respect and honor directed by biblical principles as I know them. I don’t necessarily expect “Sir and Ma’am” but “Mr. and Mrs. or Miss” for visiting adults and such. I do keep in mind that this is not enforced at school where the teachers prefer to be addressed by their first name, which I think is helping to break down the established structures of respect built by preceding generations. I prefer my children to speak to adults as I used to and was brought up to. When kids are visiting I strive for a level of respect but I do understand that their families may not be on the same page as me and thus my expectations can be deemed unreasonable. Some of the kids closest to our family already are used to calling us by our first names and in respect to them, I am watchful of the tone of voice, inflections and the common questioning of “why not?” or “How come” or “Why can’t we” and such like that. I’m a believer in obedience/compliance first then I’m happy to explain my reasoning and intent, but I am not alright with a child not doing something asked of them until they hear the reason why. I hope that makes sense in regards to what I wrote from yesterday and gives better understanding as to my frame of mind. I’m not sitting around waiting for the kids to make a mistake or something like that. I do correct what I feel is out of line or in appropriate and strive to be fair and correctable as well.
Well, I hope that covers that. I feel better about having written it down as well, so that should close that topic.

Our niece, Angel, just arrived and will be here for the weekend to get out of her surroundings for a weekend and help with the house and such for CC. She’s an amazing young lady who was born with Cystic Fibrosis and has chosen life over succumbing to the baggage of the disease. She’s a beautiful young lady who now engaged to a gentleman from her town, wonderfully in love with each other. It will be great to have her here for the few days.

Well, more work needs to be done on the bracelet and Cardy, so I’m off to work on those instead of type my thoughts any more.
peace
w