to have Courage....In Family Life, In Spirituality, In Health, In Living Simply

I'm on a journey...... as we all are. Learning, remembering, re-discovering about health, spirituality, relationships, emotions and the mind.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

What My Children Think of Me

I got an idea from a parenting site and thought I'd pose the questions to my own children.  Well, Laars' answers would just be a long drawn out succession of noise since his vocabulary is very limited to things like hot, water, me, mama, dada, a few siblings names, etc.  But if I could answer for him, it would probably all be about cuddling/sleeping with mama, and being fed all day long.

Anders wasn't much in the mood, so he only answered 2 questions.  I think he'd appropriately answer that his favorite thing about his mommy is that she still wipes his bum and does the snap up on his jeans.  Mommy is his favorite person to do those things for him.  It's so wonderful being a mommy.



ANDERS (3)

What do you like most about your Mom?  Play puzzles
What do I do that you like?     Play games with me


GAELYN (5)

What do you like most about your Mom?  She does math with me with the blocks (manipulative)

Why?   Because its fun. 

What do you like to do with your mom?   Bake cookies and challah with her.

What’s your favorite thing about your Mom?   She reads the Tanach.

What do I do that you Don’t like?  Ask me to do housework.


TOVELI (7)

What do you like most about your Mom?    You’ve raised a lot of children.  I like having lots of siblings.

Why?  Because if I didn’t there would be nobody to play with, then I’d probably go to school!

What do I do that you like?    You make smoothies, and you give lots of hugs and kisses.

What do you like to do with your mom?   Reading: practice reading, and mommy reading to me.

What’s your favorite thing about your Mom?  That you’re very very very pretty. (similar response as Danaka, Maret & Mitchell but Tov was a bit more emphatic, so I put her answer down!!!)

What do I do that you Don’t like?  Go somewhere’s without me.


MARET (9)

What do you like most about your Mom?  We get to spend time with each other.  Cuddling or reading a book.

Why?   Makes me feel good and warm.

What do I do that you like?     Lots of things.  Like blowdrying my hair,

What do you like to do with your mom?   Do activities, like making cards, reading a book together.

What do I do that you Don’t like?  Tell me to brush my hair.


MITCHELL (11)

What do you like most about your Mom?  She cuddles with me on the couch when I’m cold.

Why?  Cuz we sorta are able to spend time together, as long as the little boys aren't bothering us.

What do I do that you like?    Make me smoothies.  (Maybe he likes that because then he gets cold and can cuddle with mommy on the couch??)

What’s your favorite thing about your Mom?   That she’s beautiful, and she’s kind and cheerful.

What do I do that you Don’t like?  Get me to clean up my room.



DANAKA (12)

What do you like most about your Mom?  That she’s my mom, and I don’t have somebody else as my mom.

Why?   Because I wouldn’t be me, I wouldn’t be here.

What do I do that you like?     Read the Tanach

What do you like to do with your mom?   Play games

What do I do that you Don’t like?  Get in a bad mood.  (What?  Me???  Never!!!)


RAUCHELLE (21)

What do you like most about your Mom?  She spends quality time with us, and she honestly loves us.

Why? Because quality time is part of my love language.

What do I do that you like?    You keep the house and kids in order.  You're a house-mom, not a gone-mom.

What do you like to do with your mom?  Shopping.  Cooking.

What’s your favorite thing about your Mom? Her great personality; she's opinionated, she's fun to be around, goofy, fun-loving.

What do I do that you Don’t like? (long pause.  I could give Chelle suggestions!)  You ask me questions about yourself (Like this dumb questionaire).  She spends too much time on the computer....but then, so do I!


LAYNE (22)

What do you like most about your Mom?    So many things, it's really hard to narrow it down to one.  Well, ONE of the things I like the most is how knowledgeable she is about so many things.  Especially health.

Why?  Because I know that she has put many hours into researching the stuff she knows, and doesn't just follow the crowd.  She's not a dead fish. (ok, check with Rauchelle's answer about what she doesn't like about her mom!  I gain lots of info from spending all the time on the computer)


What do I do that you like?     Again, so many things.  But probably the most important for me is that she always tries to make time to listen to me when I need to talk...or schedule a more appropriate time...and gives advice or suggestions when I need them...even when they aren't always what I want to hear, but I need to hear it anyway.

What do you like to do with your mom?   TALK!!!!!!!  Just hanging out talking.  Doesn't matter if we're doing dishes or laundry or driving or nothing at all.  Just hanging out and talking.

What’s your favorite thing about your Mom?    Her smile/laugh.  Her nose wrinkles up when she does that and makes her look cuter than ever!

What do I do that you Don’t like?   Well, seeing as I'm not at home anymore, it doesn't happen anymore.  And she had a "partner in crime"...and I understood the need for this usually, but I still didn't like it...but sometimes it just seemed she and dad were out together too much and Rauchelle and I were always looking after the kids.  But that's just in seasons.
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Okay, I think I passed.

I know that I can never meet all of the needs of all of my children.  That place is reserved for Jesus, for He is the only one who can totally fill us up.

I am so blessed to have each of these different personalities in our family, that just by sharing life together help point out logs in my own eye.  I can see my own imperfections (can I say, gouges??) in my character, and see how desperately I need the grace and mercy and love of my heavenly Father to help mold me more into the likeness of Jesus.


Thank You, Lord, for all the wonderful gifts You have graciously shared with Everette and I.  We are truly blessed.


Question for You: Have you ever asked your children what they think of you?

3 comments:

  1. Thanks Mom! Was great to read over the answers everyone gave. Funny how some things change, but almost all of it is still the same in regards to what everyone likes about you. Except of course the Challah

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  2. It should not be seen as a pass or fail.

    Without them knowing and without you realizing, each and every one of your angels has taken the best part of you and used it to mould themselves into a wonderful person. Each unique unto themselves but each with a piece of you. You may never meet all the needs of all your children but, perhaps you need not try. Just by being yourself and loving them as you do, you may find their own cup is always full.


    Pat Landals

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  3. Thanks for the encouragement, Pat.
    Yeah, I don't think of it truly as a pass or fail. I do my best, and learning more and more to be true to myself and live in the Now rather than regretting the past or always with my eyes on the future, and missing the moment.

    Rereading over the post, though, I am able to see my dc love languages more clearly by how they responded. I don't want them just to know that they are loved by their parents, I want them to feel it for themselves. I believe they do.

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