I am on a quest to declare May as Mother’s Day Month for two reasons – First, I was in the delivery room when our children were born and what I witnessed deserves much more than one Hallmark card day of pampering; Second, June is Father’s Day Month and I want to set the right tone for every dad to enjoy that month to the full.
In a recent documentary on her life, Jackie Kennedy Onassis is quoted as saying, “If you bungle raising your children, whatever else one accomplishes in life does not matter much.” I would add, if you invest well in the raising of a godly generation as charged in Malachi 2:15, whatever else is accomplished in life pales in comparison. And society would be blessed with great teachers, judges, coaches, business leaders, journalists, doctors, professors and politicians.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may turn out well for you, and that you may live long on the earth. – Ephesians 6.1-2. Paul’s mandate here is not necessarily to children as much as it is to parents in what should receive emphasis as children are reared – obedience and honoring. Are the guidelines for obedience conveyed clearly in the home? Do kids get the connection of obedience being a way to honor you? Just as the Heavenly Father is honored as a Christian lives under the authority of His word, parents are honored as children obey the rules of the home. Through the maturing relationship with the Father, the call to obey and honor manifests into love for the Father. Out of that love, flows more obedience and honoring. The same is true for kids with their parents. Mother’s Day Month is a great time to help kids mature on this journey in relationship with mom, you and with the Heavenly Father through Jesus the Christ.
Tips for a great Mother’s Day Month:
- Make time for a ‘mom’s day off’. Start with preparing coffee and breakfast with the kids for her. Schedule a fun day with the kids to free her of family obligations as best as possible. Include a gift card to her favorite store or salon. Wrap the day up working with the kids to prepare her favorite dinner;
- Help the kids generate some coupons for mom to redeem at a time of her choosing. Suggestions include: car wash & detail; washing windows; cleaning up the kitchen for a week; taking on laundry responsibilities or an open coupon for whatever she wants;
- Surprise her by engaging the kids in a house cleaning day - put old socks on the kid’s hands and clean the baseboards; run the vacuum; clean the floors; wash down the kitchen counters, …; and,
- Help the kid’s write personal notes of thanks to mom.
Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for mothers. I confess I took my mother for granted too long and I have taken the mother of our children for granted as well. I was not only selfish, I was self-serving. Forgive me. Now, in the age of the ‘selfie’ it is even easier to obsess over self and take others for granted. Help me lead by example in my home to exhibit selfless, sacrificial love as I teach the kids to honor their mother. That is the dad You call me to be, and that is the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father teaches kids to honor mom through his example.
