If It's Broke Fix it!

Teaching Children to Look for Ways to Help

One of the parts of our honor definition is that we do more than what's expected. That means seeing what needs to be done and doing it. It means solving problems instead leaving them for others. One family had a sign in their kitchen that read:

If it’s broken, fix it.
If it’s empty, fill it up.
If it’s open, shut it.
If it’s out, put it away.
If it’s messy, clean it up.
If you can’t, then report it.
That’s honor.

Take time to teach children that they don't have to be asked in order to do a job. Honor means that we’re all contributing to family life. In fact, you may ask a child to go around the house and look for one job that needs to be done and do it, then report back to you.

These kinds of discussions and exercises will help children think outside of their little box and discover that they have a responsibility to the family. They can contribute to family life by just seeing something that needs to be done and doing it.

Of course, that's what makes a valuable employee too so you can teach your children something more important than just how to get along better in your family. You may be preparing them to be outstanding employees as they get older.


In addition, look for ways to discover the talents God gave each of your children. Help them find ways to use their loves and gifts to contribute or be kind to others. Perhaps you have a little one that likes to draw all day. Get the names of the seniors at a local nursery home and have your little one draw them pictures with a kind note jotted on it, like: God loves Mrs Smith.

Helping our children learn that they were placed here to contribute to God's perfect plan helps them not slip into the world's self absorbed agenda.

Enjoy your children this week.

Brenda



Some of this was borrowed from an article from "Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes In You and Your Kids" by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.