S is for Silliness. The words I hope my children use to describe me when they are grown: loving, gentle, honest, wise, diligent, godly, trustworthy, consistent, brave, funny and silly. I want my kids to know the real me--the woman that has a loud laugh, a penchant for impersonation, and an inner hip-hopper ready to bust out (at home.) Some of the greatest memories I have of my mother is of her hula-hooping in cut offs at my seventh-grade birthday party...or when she used make fun of herself, or when she could make me laugh just by dancing and fixing dinner at the same time. Our kids need to see us mature and grounded, but why not let them see that we were once just like them...and sometimes still are?
R is for Read.
Reading to our children from the earliest age inspires them to love learning, enjoy reading, and appreciate the written word over more convenient forms of entertainment and information available to kids today. No one has ever said, as an adult: "I wish I was better at surfing the net." Rather, we all say, "I wish I read more."
Judah "reading."