Our new grandson is now home with his family – Josh, Becca, and Grant. All are doing well. Josh and Becca have done a good job preparing Grant for his little brother’s arrival during the months of waiting. They talked with him often about how God was blessing them with a new baby and what a good big brother Grant was going to be. They even came home from the hospital with a gift from baby Hudson for Grant – the Batman helicopter was a big hit with him.
I am staying with them a few weeks to reassure Grant of his special place in his family during this adjustment time of learning to share Mom and Dad. We are reading books about new babies, coloring pictures of babies and mommies, gluing pictures of babies into a booklet, and diapering a teddy bear.
I am using some of the same activities and stories I used the week we brought our second son home 30 years ago. Our Bible verse for the week is “I will praise God for I am wonderfully made”. Psalm 139:14. We have looked at baby pictures of Grant and talked about how special God made him. We ran, sorted big & little toys, sang and danced. We shared the verse as we did each activity and talked about how wonderful God made him to be able to do all these things. (Check out the next blog post coming out in a few days for the entire lesson on self-worth.)
There are a number of books to read about a new baby. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Mister Rogers has an excellent song about when a new baby comes to your house. I couldn’t find it online but am linking to a recording from a vinyl I had years ago When the baby comes to your house. If anyone does find it for sale online please let me know so I can post the link here.
I hope these things are helpful if you have a new baby come to your house.
In our Bible reading recently we discovered these verses:
Job 8:14 Everything they count on will collapse. They are leaning on a spiderweb.
Isaiah 36:6 . . . If you lean on Egypt, you will find it to be a stick that breaks beneath your weight and pierces your hand. The Pharaoh of Egypt is completely unreliable!
What are we leaning on? What are we training our children to lean on? When things around us fall apart, do we act like we are leaning on a spiderweb or perhaps on a stick that breaks and sticks us in the hand? The way we respond under pressure will definitely reveal what we are leaning on.
The church I grew up in regularly sang “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” This song came to mind when I read the verses above and I have found myself singing it from time to time as I’m rocking a baby. Below is a link to a newer version of the song but with the same lyrics that give us the ageless truth of the only way to be “safe and secure from all alarms”. Teach it to your children, along with some of the other old hymns.
When your child’s behavior is less than what you have hoped for, do you pull out another ‘how to’ book, or phone a friend for advice, or take a poll on facebook, or spend hours googling the problem? No, this is the time to pray!!!
Anytime you have a concern in your child’s development, no matter what age and no matter how big or small the problem, your first response should be prayer. Ask the One who made the child and knows and loves the child better than you, how to deal with him or her.
Parents work in the lives of their children through prayer. It keeps us in tune with God and gives Him the freedom to work in our children’s lives. This is not to say you never seek advice, but first, always talk to God about the situation and even pray with your children concerning the problem.
And also, when you get exasperated by something your child is doing, remember God gives us time to grow and mature, let’s do the same for our children.
