365 Days of Thankfulness: Kidz Rock

"It takes a village to raise a child"

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I've been reading articles about how to raise a kid. Mine is an energetic and soft hearted six year old so I'm looking for specifics : development expectations around this age, behavioral changes, and how to do parenting and teaching them things she should start doing such as small responsibilities of tidying up her room, doing her homework on time and finishing up what she started!

There are lots of good articles out there. While I'm on it and reading it, you can imagine how many imaginary light bulbs are lighting up around my head screaming for ideas, ideas, ideas! But when reality strikes - all those parenting ideas flying out the windows. There's really no right handbook when it comes to parenting. It is really a trial and error, tough hands-on experience to teach your kid manners, responsibility and all virtues that comes with patience, perseverance and diligence. While you are teaching patience, it is extremely difficult to practice what you preach when you are being tested.

I now appreciate the importance of having a community that help you as a parent in raising your kid, the same community that influences your kid as she grows up.

This ideal community comprised of different people: neighbors, teachers, coaches, church leaders, few good friends. A closely knitted community help each other, look after each other, take care and educate each other's kids.

But right now, with the pandemic almost making it's annual mark, my kid's village are these: me, her dad, few friends she talk to or rather play games with online, her online class teacher and some close relatives.

That is why I am so thankful for the Kid's Ministry in our church. Because, though church services are done virtually, this ministry tried their best to reach out to families with kids. Kids services are online and it is entertaining with lots of kid's music, dances, funny jokes and bible stories with bottom line lessons, all of it make little differences to kid's life and parent's especially during this pandemic. 

What makes this ministry outstanding is they have reached out to families and started distributing art supplies so kids can better relate to the topics the church want the kids to learn.

Every two weeks, arts and craft supplies are ready for pick up by any parents. For this week, we got something that talks about responsibility (very timely as I am having difficulties relaying this to my kid). My kid and I did the craft together while talking about her responsibility at home, how she can be trusted if she did things that are expected of her. We even write some of the daily stuff I always tell her to do like tidying up after her mess, of not giving up when 
things get hard, to do things she needs to and to stay on task (focus).

For some moment there, it was easier for me to explain to her that young as she is, she have responsibilities we expect her to do and doing those things would mean she can be trusted. And someone that can be trusted with small things, can be trusted with big things.

I thank the Lord for Kidz Rock.