Raising Capable Children

Today is Fathers Day! My second son, Rhyor, decided of his own accord that he would make the Fathers Day supper. It was a superb meal, the kind that makes a mama proud! The main dish was an oven-roasted chicken that he seasoned with Herbes de Provence and garlic. Yum! Not only that, but he also made the dessert: a whole grain, lemon blueberry cake. It was absolutely moist and delicious. Did I mention that Rhyor is only twelve-years-old? Now, before you start getting the wrong idea, I am not by any means posting this to brag or toot my horn. I'm posting this to show how capable our children are, even at a young age.

Several years ago, when my oldest was around 5-years-old (she's now 16), I heard a talk on CD that emphasized all that our children are capable of. And it was a lot. The talk focused on examples from history and spoke of the responsibilities children had at the time of the early settlers. I remember listening to that talk and feeling like it spoke to me on many levels, like it was confirming what I believed, yet didn't see in the world around me. Why are we so afraid of requiring responsibility from our children? Why is it that so many parents are satisfied with enabling their children to play and have fun, but never engaging them to learn, develop, and become?

I'm not an expert on parenting, by any means. Trust me, there are many days when I feel like I am failing at motherhood. But after spending 10+ years of raising my kids with the "You can do this" kind of attitude, plus some "Let me show you how," and "I need you to learn about _____ to help our family," I can say without a doubt that children are remarkable and amazing. Please see the untapped potential in your child. I choose to see it in my children. For better or worse, I choose not to see them as incapable children, but as if my children are becoming adults today. Tonight the results of that effort were delicious!

I managed to snap a photo before it all disappeared. Look at those blueberries!