The middle child


Give Eli a job, and he will do it with excellence until completion…maybe until you finally say, "OK, buddy! That's good!! Quit…go play!!" To say he is a hard worker would be an understatement. He is all business when it comes to schoolwork, football, baseball, housework. It cracks me up, but of course I love it about him. With the sweetest smile across his face, he will ask numerous times a day, "How can I help, Mom?"


Rewards and goals are the way to Eli's heart. Give him something to work for, and he'll earn it. He'll not only earn it, he'll go above and beyond. He will nail whatever it is he is supposed to be working towards, and then he'll act all sheepish when you reward him. "Me? I earned this?? What did I do?" (As if he had no idea there was a reward on the other end.) He does truly do things out of the goodness of his heart, though. He is an amazing little boy, and my days are full of feeling loved because of this child. 






If anyone is feeling bad or sad or got hurt somehow, Eli is the first to grab the ice pack, to rub their back, or to ask if they're okay. At the same time, he is rough, tough, and loves bugs. He loves working in the yard, playing any sports, and could tell me more about the NFL teams and players than I could ever care to learn on my own. 


Eli, God has taught me more in your almost 6 years of life than I ever imagined I would learn in a lifetime. He made you gentle and strong, loud yet observant, and both intentional and spontaneous. You are an amazing little boy, and I count it a privilege that the Lord chose to place you in our family. I am excited to see you grow and become a young man who continues to be focused and determined. Place yourself in the mighty hand of God, and submit to His authority, and I'm positive that He will use your hardworking, goal-oriented attributes to spread His name wherever He leads you.
We love you, Eli!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Raising Real Men, part 6

Image
Moving into Part Two of the book, "Civilization for the Tough," the Young's begin with "First Things" first! What do you think is the first thing involved in raising REAL men to be civilized? Deuteronomy 6:4-7 The Young's have dubbed this passage of Scripture "the basic commandment for homeschoolers." I think many homeschoolers use this passage, as well as Deut. 11:18-20 , which I even have had on my homeschool blog for awhile :) To summarize the verses: Teach (these words) diligently to your children, talk of them while you sit, when you walk, when you lie down, when you rise... The foundation of the raising of our children (boys or girls) must begin here. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength," and with all your mind (which we so often forget!!!) (Matthew 22:37) I am so glad the Young's state this as being first, because even though, as a believer, it seems obvious, it can s
Read more

Raising Real Men

Image
I just started reading Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young , and I am already blown away. I read so many rave reviews about the book, and (seeing as I have four boys) I figured it would be a good one for my library. I will posting a "quote of the week" from the book here on the blog, as well as various convictions, thoughts, and things I am learning. I would love to have something to look back at once I'm finished reading the book, and I hope it will benefit those of you with boys out there as well. So often, I feel like I need to re-read books once I finish them simply because it takes me so long to get through them. This is also one of those books that I feel like has so much to chew on in one chapter, I need to let it sit for a few days. I hope you gain some wisdom from these authors (of SIX boys) as I do the same!! If you ARE a mother of many boys (or even just one!), pick up this book. It is totally worth whatever price you can find it for. I would seriously q
Read more

Raising Real Men, Part 4

Image
Moving on to chapter 5, we face the topic of discipline . I couldn't WAIT to read this chapter (only that's a lie...I did NOT go into this topic with a cheerful heart!) Lord, forgive me . I often say I have so much to learn when it comes to parenting, but on the subject of discipline?? Well, saying I have a lot to learn is quite an understatement. I often think I'm getting this discipline thing down, you know? Things are going well, my kids are behaving...and then another child hits a different phase, and we're back at square one. It's draining, to say the least. Thankfully, this chapter was full of Scripture, biblical truth, and practical ideas. Let's go... The title of this chapter is "Who's In Charge Here?" The authors take us down the simple chain of command, reminding us how important it is for us to both realize the truth of this ourselves and also to teach our kids how this leadership thing works. First, God is the ultimate authority. God gi
Read more