As a mother, it has been important to me from the beginning to expose my children to the best in books and music. From the time that they are very small, I read wonderful stories to them. And, there is almost always good music from a wide variety of genres playing in our home. I have done this with the hope that a taste for beauty and excellence would be cultivated in them, and that they would also be inspired to pursue greatness as well.
Well, here I am with an official ‘tween’ and one soon-to-be amongst my brood. Even though we don’t have TV channels, they have seen enough of the Disney Channel to become pretty fond of a particular young, pop star. My gut instinct is to shut it off, talk to them about why it’s not great music and quick – turn on some Tchaikovsky!
However, I’ve been convicted lately that maybe that’s not the best route. These wise words have given me some new eyes to see and ears to hear. How can I possibly expect them to have any interest in what I care about if I refuse to even listen to something that they truly enjoy?
And, what if I viewed the things that they share with me as a pathway to their hearts? A chance to understand more about whom they are as persons? An opportunity to simply love them for who they are. What if I saw these years of transitioning from childhood to adulthood as a time for me to listen, care and be available? Do you think that maybe, they’ll be more likely to listen, care and be available for me, too?
Of course, I will continue to expose them to beautiful words and sounds. And, of course, there will be times when the line will have to be drawn when something is clearly dishonoring to the Lord. Hopefully, by knowing how much I care, those times of drawing the line will be easier for these sweet young ladies to handle. Lord willing, we will all be able to love and admire each other for the person God created us to be. And, within that love and admiration, hearts and minds will flourish. – That is the sincere desire of my heart.
So very wise! We have been dealing with the music issue at our house too. I grew up with very, very limited music allowed (mainly low-key worship music, classical, and other quiet instrumental) so guiding my kids through this area is all new to me. Lately my oldest has taken a liking to Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. Although I have a very low tolerance for noise, period, and I prefer classical or something soothing, it has been sooooo good for me to listen to these songs with her and talk about their message. It has opened up great conversations about the messages of music, what we fill our minds with, and so forth. Wonderful discipleship opportunities that I would have missed if I had just banned the songs wholesale.
ReplyDeleteAnyway. I found your blog through Sally Clarkson's. I figured anyone who appreciated her post this morning would be worth reading. :)