Archive - Dinner Conversations RSS Feed

Not The Sum Of Your Parts

April 14, 2010 in Dinner Conversations with 1 Comment

We need to talk to our children about their body image. This starts with us, as parents. We need to understand our part in this problem. Parents, especially mothers, do not understand how detrimental it is to our children to put our bodies down in front of them.

Psalm 139:14 tells us about someone who has the right image of themselves. David is praising God because he understands that he was wonderfully and fearfully made. When I was young I had a poster in my room, it was the picture of a small child and at the top it said, “God doesn’t make junk”. That says it all.

Many people today, especially women, get hung up on what they weigh and what size they fit into. God created us, we need to appreciate His creation. This is what we need to impress upon our kids. God created us in His image.

This concept however is not a free pass to not take care of your body. We need to model for our children what they need to do to care for their bodies. We must model healthy eating and the importance of exercise in our lives. 1 Corinthians 6:19 gives us a reason why we need to take care of our bodies, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we truly understand that concept we will see the importance of teaching this to our children.

We must teach our children that they are not the sum of their parts. 1 Corinthians go on to say in 6:20, “we were bought at a price”, we are to honor God with our bodies. Our model is the best way to show our children how to live this out in their lives.

Related Posts:

Manners Matter

April 10, 2010 in Dinner Conversations with 1 Comment

Manners have gone by the wayside these days.  I have noticed a decline in the use of manners in society today.  I have to say it makes me feel bad when someone does not use their manners.  We need to show our children that manners still matter.

I will admit I struggle with manners but I am continually trying to do a better job.  My husband and I have always tried to use our manners with each other.  When we don’t use our manners it implies we don’t care for the other person.  It is good to make a habit of using our manners at home and it will spread to our everyday life.

When we talk to our children about manners we need to be prepared to be held accountable.  We need to be prepared to model what we are teaching them.  Children learn from what they see.  Ever notice how your children do things the way you do them because they have seen you do things?  There are three things that we need to take into account when we are teaching our children about manners.

The first thing to consider is custom.  We have certain customs in this country.  There was a time when everyone would shake hands.  This was an important part of society.  Shaking hands was important because it would show others they were not carrying a sword in their hands.  Today shaking hands is polite when you meet someone.  Custom is important to take into consideration when addressing manners.

The next thing to take into account is consideration.  Consideration takes the focus off of us and onto others.  When we are considerate we are always being well mannered.  This is the most important concept surrounding the use of manners.  When we don’t take others into consideration it hurts their feelings and we show our ruthlessness.  Simply put, consideration is thinking about the way another person feels.

The last thing to take into account when discussing manners with your children is common sense.  This one is harder to teach.  Children have a hard time using common sense until they get a little older.  Younger children see things from their point of view.  Even adults have a hard time using common sense.  It is not impossible to teach children to use common sense when it comes to manners but it is challenging.

Manners matter.  It’s imperative that we teach our children manners in all aspects of life.  Manners are an integral part of our society and we need to teach our children to use them.  Take the time to bring up this important topic at your next meal as a family.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Talking Money With Kids

April 10, 2010 in Dinner Conversations with 1 Comment

this is the first entry into the dinner conversations category.  Dinner conversations are the things we need to address our children with during our meals.  We are very fortunate in that we get to eat every meal with our children.  Most families only get one meal together at best.  I want to share some conversation starters with some very important topics for our children.  Spending time together during meals is great for our families.  When we do this with purpose then we have a chance to mold our children.  I love meal time conversations with my kids I hope you enjoy using these topics to start conversations with your children.  The first conversation is about money.

Money is an important topic.  The mishandling of money is big news today.  It is imperative that we discuss this topic with our children.  This is not only a topic we need to discuss but we also have to model what we preach.  We need to be good stewards of our money and show our children how to do it right.

1. Teach them how you earn money

Your children need to know, money does not grow on trees.  We must work to receive money.  Many children do not understand how parents come upon money.  Once your children understand this concept then they will be ready to understand stewardship of money.

Give your kids the opportunity to earn money.  Give them a task that is appropriate to their age.  Pay them accordingly for their work.  You can then show them how to use the money.  You want to show your children that giving is a big part of getting.  We want to help others so we give part of our money away, right off the top.

2. Saving

It is imperative to teach them to save money.  This is the first step in staying out of debt in life.  If we teach them to save money then we give them the ability to keep from using credit cards later in life.

3. Spending

We need to show them to how to spend their money wisely.  There is no shame in seeking out a great deal on something we want to purchase.  The key component  is waiting, we must show our children how to be patient with purchases.  Again this is a situation where we need to model this concept for them.

Related Posts: