We went to mass this morning, and while we were at the side of the church, I noticed that my eldest daughter was preoccupied with something. She kept picking flowers and putting them on the ground making a trail. I didn't bother asking her what she was doing as I was trying to focus on the mass. When she was done, she had a triumphant smile and said, "Jesus will be very happy." I was surprised with what she said so I asked her why, and she replied "Because I scattered flowers for him."
It took me a few minutes to realize why she had done that. I recalled reading to her the story about Jesus and the children in one of our Bible Friends books. The kids scattered flowers and waved palm branches while singing Hosanna as Jesus entered the town of Jerusalem. I knew she loved that story because there were lots of kids in the picture (and she even said, "Mommy, look! The kids are not wearing any shoes.") and it showed that Jesus was happy talking to the little children.
I couldn't help but feel a little bit of relief after that. I mean, as parents, we always wonder if we're raising our kids well. Apart from making sure they're well-fed and safe and healthy every day, we think of the things that we teach our children. We ask ourselves if we're providing them with the right lessons and experiences that they need to grow up as good, responsible and compassionate human beings.
We all have those moments. As a stay at home mom, I always ask myself if I'm teaching my kids well. Are they learning enough for their age? Should I be more proactive in teaching them how to read? Should I read to them more? Are they having too much screen time? Can they already tell good from bad? Are they learning about their faith? Should I stop them from watching Peppa Pig?
I smiled a little and thought, "Of all the lessons that I try to teach you, anak, I'm glad that you remembered that." To make Jesus happy. We pray every night, bring them to church every week, but at the back of my mind, I wonder if my daughters understand our faith and who God is. It's a question that I still don't know the answer to, but hearing my four-year old say what she said a while ago tells me that I should explore that topic more with them.
I don't know why, but I didn't want the encounter to end with her thinking that she has to make a flower trail to make Jesus happy. So after contemplating for a few minutes, while giving her a hug, I told her, "You know what will make Jesus happy? It's when you pray and you love your sister and be good to other people." I know it's not the perfect thing to say, but I guess it's a good start.
A little while after that, our youngest daughter walked up to me and my husband, and hugged our legs and said, "I love you guys!" And I thought to myself, I don't know if I'm teaching them well all the time, but I know I taught them something good.
It took me a few minutes to realize why she had done that. I recalled reading to her the story about Jesus and the children in one of our Bible Friends books. The kids scattered flowers and waved palm branches while singing Hosanna as Jesus entered the town of Jerusalem. I knew she loved that story because there were lots of kids in the picture (and she even said, "Mommy, look! The kids are not wearing any shoes.") and it showed that Jesus was happy talking to the little children.
I couldn't help but feel a little bit of relief after that. I mean, as parents, we always wonder if we're raising our kids well. Apart from making sure they're well-fed and safe and healthy every day, we think of the things that we teach our children. We ask ourselves if we're providing them with the right lessons and experiences that they need to grow up as good, responsible and compassionate human beings.
We all have those moments. As a stay at home mom, I always ask myself if I'm teaching my kids well. Are they learning enough for their age? Should I be more proactive in teaching them how to read? Should I read to them more? Are they having too much screen time? Can they already tell good from bad? Are they learning about their faith? Should I stop them from watching Peppa Pig?
I smiled a little and thought, "Of all the lessons that I try to teach you, anak, I'm glad that you remembered that." To make Jesus happy. We pray every night, bring them to church every week, but at the back of my mind, I wonder if my daughters understand our faith and who God is. It's a question that I still don't know the answer to, but hearing my four-year old say what she said a while ago tells me that I should explore that topic more with them.
I don't know why, but I didn't want the encounter to end with her thinking that she has to make a flower trail to make Jesus happy. So after contemplating for a few minutes, while giving her a hug, I told her, "You know what will make Jesus happy? It's when you pray and you love your sister and be good to other people." I know it's not the perfect thing to say, but I guess it's a good start.
A little while after that, our youngest daughter walked up to me and my husband, and hugged our legs and said, "I love you guys!" And I thought to myself, I don't know if I'm teaching them well all the time, but I know I taught them something good.
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