Family

Family

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Child-Training

I have been lax.
I have been neglectful.
I have let things go.
I am trying to get my home back in order.
Easier said than done.

Thankful His mercies are new every day and we can try again.

In cleaning out the long-neglected file cabinet, I came across an article that I clipped from our first church's Sunday bulletin....we left that church 23 years ago this week!  Susanna Wesley was her parents' 25th and youngest child.  Susanna bore 19 children of whom only 9 lived to adulthood.  Two of her sons were Charles, a prolific Christian hymn writer, and John, preacher of the Gospel.  The following is a list of 16 rules that Susanna used to raise her children.

1.  No eating between meals.
2.  All children in bed by 8:00 P.M.
3.  Take your medicines without complaining.
4.  Subdue self will in each child.
5. Work with God to save the soul of each child.
6.  Teach child to pray as soon as he can speak.
7.  Require all to be still during family worship.
8.  Give children nothing they cry for.
9.  Give them only what they ask for politely.
10.  To prevent lying, punish no fault which is first confessed.
11.  Do not allow a sinful act to go unpunished.
12.  Command and reward good behavior,
13.  Preserve property rights, even in the smallest matters.
14. Strictly observe all promises.
15.  Require no daughter to work before she can read well.
16.  Teach children to fear the rod.

Reading a biography of Susanna Wesley will definitely give you a more accurate picture of this woman of God.  Her children knew that if they came into a room and saw their mother with her apron thrown over her head that they should not disturb her.  She was in prayer.  She had a much more difficult life that I ever will, but I make excuses about why I can't do this or why I can't do that. I've gotten lazy. Time to quit making excuses and be the woman that I need to be.  The woman that God desires for me to be.  May I be more like Susanna Wesley so that I can raise sons like John and Charles!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Humbling! I too feel like things have gone by the wayside over the past few months. I let the end of a pregnancy and having a baby be my excuse to get lax on the rules and teach the children how to behave and love each other. I am paying for it now. I believe it is time to follow these rules myself and re-claim their hearts from the chaos.
Amber.

Deborah said...

I love that list. But it is a solid list. A couple of them I already have had good success with. I can only go slow and steady to win the race. So I'm going to choose to focus on number 8 for a while. "Give children nothing they cry for." And see how far I can get with it. :o)

MARY B. said...

Wisdom. If I was only so thoughtful as to deliberately write down our beliefs and stick to them :). I'm doing pretty good with that list...not the 8pm bedtime and not the no snacking between meals but we try to do 5-6 small meals a day...requiring meals between the meals. I'd add to the list...teach a child to not speak when entering a room or when adults are talking. Interuptions in our household are huge! Any wisdom on how to teach a 6 year old that saying "excuse me" 50 times in 30 seconds is not waiting patiently.
Love your blog...love your menus...just got the Artisian bread book and made the pizza dough at lunch yesterday from your recommendation. The whole family LOVED it! Blessings and thank you for sharing. Love in Christ, MommaMary2Many

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