Children Are a Blessing from the Lord

I spent Monday in a courtroom, in the jury box, waiting to see if I would serve. The case involved a young man of 22 who was being tried for a crime he committed several years ago. Straight out of college I used to work with juvenile felons . I tried to help them find their way to a different life. Believe me, I have stories. It's probably for that reason that I was passed over for serving.

I'll admit I was relieved. While I was listening to the attorneys sort through our qualifications to serve there was some place I would rather have been.  My oldest son, Dane, was on his way to the airport to pick up my middle son, Skyler, who was returning from Taiwan. I was anxious to see him and hear about his adventures.  He was doing a different kind of service there; working with children whose parents were attending an outreach program to individuals and families.

All three of my sons are vegetarians; all three of my daughters are not . The boys started when they were quite young. So we were all amazed to learn that while there; Skyler bit the head off shrimp, ate squid, and ate a number of things the meat eaters in the family wouldn't touch. Upon returning home he went right back to his vegetarian ways but he said he wanted the full cultural experience while he was there. Dane enjoyed the irony that it was the non-vegetarians who were shocked by what Skyler choked down and  mostly enjoyed.

Skyler has a soft heart for children. Last night that benefited me when my grandson threw up. It was Skyler, still suffering from jet lag, that sprang into action; cleaning up his nephew and the couch. He looked at it and was as disgusted as anyone would be but he took care of it anyway. That's Skyler in a nutshell. He'll do what needs to be done, nonchalantly and good-naturedly. It's moments like those when you see your children not only go off to try to make a difference in the world but who are also willing to do the unpleasant but necessary daily jobs that you realize that children are a blessing from the Lord.

Along with the fat-loss workouts that address  fitness goals, Exercising Values includes character lessons and excerpts from great children's literature. Although we parents want to be good role models please don't think to convey these truths to your children that you have to be stellar examples of each quality. ( I was sitting on the other side of my grandson thinking. throw up? I don't see any throw up?)

Sometimes it is more powerful to admit to being a bad example. If you are trying to teach about enthusiasm and the whole family saw you grumbling about picking up after them or cleaning the garage or whatever, then just say so. Tell them that you are purposing to do better next time and then try to follow-through.  It gives them permission to not be perfect. Believe it or not, when they see you making an effort to be enthusiastic about doing an unpleasant job;  they will remember the character lesson you were trying to teach.

I home educated my children using the educational program of the Advanced Training Institute. I learned the value of a systematic character training program from them.  I've always thought one of the values of spending so much time with your children is they get to see you wrestle with things. They get to see you fail. They get to see you try again. Your faith and your values are not something they hear about but rather something they see you trying to apply, undoubtedly with mixed results.

It's great to have lots of time to get this done but not everyone has that luxury. I've had seasons in my life where my time with my children was also limited. That's when it becomes even more important to make the most of the time we do have.

I really believe these short daily fifteen minute lessons that are attached to fun, physical activity will lay a solid foundation for children that they will remember and apply. Exercising Values can easily be expanded upon to provide a physical education program for home-educated students.  I hope that many home-schooling families will find it useful.  But I also wanted to get it in the hands of parents who are working or have other obligations that limit their time with their family. I hope it is helpful to families who want to maximize the time they do have together. 

The attorney's were wise in sending me home that day. Even though I thought I could be impartial and render a verdict just on the evidence; I did have a heart for the young man on trail that day. I wondered how he got there. I wondered who had tried or not tried to teach him right from wrong. Not every character flaw will land us in jail but all character flaws make us less effective, they grieve our Maker, they hurt other people.

Exercising Values will have an impact in preventing obesity, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis. It will have a hand in bringing out your child's athletic potential. This foundation will lead to a lifetime of better health and fitness. In Proverbs 4 there is a promise that doing the right thing will bring health to a man's whole body. As much as physical training does for our well-being; character training will do more. I invite you to try the program with your family and to offer suggestions to improve it.