By: Alida

Alida — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:43:51 +0000

Thank you, thank you for this article ! I’ve been praying for some guidance regarding interaction with my children, since I grew up in a home where my parents were never involved in my life. I have that sad feeling about a horse I drew as a child, receiving only criticism about the legs being too thin. I thought it was the most elegant horse I ever draw and was deeply disappointed at my dad’s response. The lie that I started to believe – that I have no real talent even though I just LOVE drawing – stayed with me till after I was married and started painting classes with a friend. I was afraid of color, afraid to fail again. Always drew only with pencil, until I was almost 30. But God is good and He shed His light on that lie.
Because of my parents’ indifference, I have no basis of reference of how to have meaningful and loving interaction with my children. I yearn to have their hearts and love and for them to have mine ~ now I know where to start !! Since we are so called ‘city slickers’ (dreaming of an acre to LIVE on), there are fewer practical possibilities, but at least we can make a start with what we have at hand. Loving what the children love because we love them. Ironically, my husband has very much the same background, to an extent, so we both erred by ‘sending the children to play’ instead of involving them in our lives. But we’re learning and I often pray that God would save our children the pain and consequences of our mistakes, because we’re only recently started to learn what those mistakes are ! May God bless you abundantly in your wonderful ministry, our little family already benefitted tremendously with what we’ve learned from you.
Kind regards,
Alida Pretorius (South Africa)

Comments on: Love is Loving What They Love

By: Alida