From One Mom To AnotherJuly 2017
Kindness and Affection
I hope you are finding fun moments with your families. As we begin to enter into summer, I am remembering fun vacation days with my little girls. I am so thankful for each memory we have. So many of our memories are because their daddy was a man who loved to treat his family with fun. Saturday morning tickle times, or bedtime tickle times with lots of giggles, and vacations with fun! Those shared moments with a family can be such a blessing.
Right now, one of my daughters is on a mission trip to Honduras. She left by herself and will speak or serve with three different groups during her 2 week trip. Several of those travel days are leaving one group to join a different group so will be done alone &ndash or, I should say, just her and her Creator. I can’t help but think that even our vacation travels, whether near or a little farther have helped prepare her for this larger trip. In fact, she has traveled with us on mission trips that involved much of our family. All of our children have been strengthened for whatever activity or challenge they face by the strong family bonds we have intentionally created. Even fun times have an eternal impact on our children. This may be common sense to you, but I wasn’t raised in a family that laughed much or played much, so I had to learn the value of fun.
I also had to learn the value of music; I don’t remember much singing as a child. I’m not sure why that was not part of my childhood since my mother loved to sing and had a beautiful solo voice. My dad had been in WWII in the infantry as a young nineteen year old. He was great as a leader and had common sense that saved lives. With two purple hearts and a love for his country, he was a fine man and very seriously committed to fulfilling any job he had with the utmost of integrity and competency. I think now, health professionals would diagnose my dad as having a form of PTSD or some kind of Trauma from surviving the Battle of the Bulge and liberation of Jewish death camps. But I was raised before those realizations were prevalent. Dad raised us with a seriousness like he did everything. It might surprise you to know that I am an excellent marksman and was an NRA rifle instructor by the time I was 18 and had received numerous marksmanship awards for individual and team competition. But, I don’t remember much laughter. There were not many kind words or words of affection. And, with all due respect, I don’t remember much relationship.
So what about you? Do you have a Trauma that is keeping you from expressing kindness or affection? Are you content to remain like that? My biggest suggestion to you is to seek wise counsel and get that dealt with so that you can raise your children the way you desire.