Parenting dare 11.

Day 11.  Love teaches.
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

This chapter was all about the values we have the power to instill into our children.  I personally love this topic.  I'll sit around all day with friends talking about all the things I do with Allie and how I teach her valuable lessons and try to instill in her skills that will shape her and grow her into adulthood.  Parenting is something I'm passionate about and want to do right.  That does NOT mean I always do everything right. Far from it.  I tend to give more advise than I take and there is always plenty to work on.  I am far from perfect, but I do love to talk about all the perfect things to do.  This is not nearly as much of a struggle with Allie as it is with Jordan.  It is always my goal to honor God in my parenting and hope that with his help I can continue to grow in that area.
That is not my role in Jordan's life right now, although I'm sure there are some ways I can work it in and if I get creative there is probably a lot more I can do.  My mom will often call me to talk about things they are working on with Jordan and we discuss it.  She takes what I say into consideration and often applies what I've suggested.  It makes me feel involved and I appreciate that she respects what I have to bring to the table. So I made a list of the things that I think are important to teach my children.

1. Put God 1st in life. (how to pray, what it means to have a relationship with God and who Christ is / salvation.)
2. How to study the bible.
3. Respect for adults.
4. Empathy and serving others.
5. Manners.
6. Sexual purity.  (no sex before marriage, honoring his future spouse, praying for future spouse, keeping away from pornography ---- this would include television shows popular in our culture and not exactly defined as pornography and pornography in various other forms)
7. Good work ethic.
8. Money management and budgeting.  (this would also include the importance of tithing)
9. Photography.

One day I hope to be able to discuss these kinds of things with him or at the very least pray that he will learn these things.  Most of which I already know my mom and dad do make a priority in their parenting.

My prayer for Jordan today.
Lord, thank you for giving us your word as an instruction book to help us learn more about parenting and teaching our children the way you want us to and the ways that they can grow up and know you through our leading and guiding.  Thank you for showing me the importance of making Godly parenting a priority.  Thank you that I can lean on you for strength.  Lord, please help Jordan to soak up what is truth and to grow into an adult that has learned Godly principles and values.  I pray that Jordan will follow you his whole life and that he will learn how to study your word and know it as truth.  I ask that you will help him respect adults even when he doesn't understand them or agree with them (as long as it wont harm him).  Lord, place Jordan in places and situations where he will be able to serve others and that he will learn how to have empathy.  I pray for him to always remember the good manners, work ethic and money management skills that my parents are teaching him.  Lord, I pray intensely that you will protect my son's purity.  That he will one day be married to a Godly woman and be able to say that he prayed for her and that she prayed for him and that God united them.  And help me Lord to find opportunities to teach Jordan about photography and that he will be interested in learning about something that I can teach him on a casual level.  I lift all this up to you Lord, thank you.  In Jesus' name.

"Life has enough traps and valleys as it is.  But by letting your love draw out the road maps and point out the bridges today, you prepare your children to thank God for you later when they stand and celebrate on the mountain peaks you taught them how to climb."
Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew.  (Deuteronomy 32:2)