What Will Your Daughter Be When She Grows Up? Part 2

Last month, we established the thought that if we would see our daughters grow into Godly, discreet, respectful young ladies then-- we must walk in obedience first! I've never met a Christian mother yet that hasn't had dreams and desires for her daughter that reached far beyond complacent, ordinary, Christianity. Desiring to see your daughter embrace the Christ-life over the self-life will not happen without your prayers and your input!

A Christian Mother's Dream List:

Dream # 2: I want my daughter to be able to serve the Lord with her talents in and through the Lord's church.

That is certainly a fine thing to desire. Do you have any idea what it will take to get her to that place of service? I can tell you. It will take the sacrifice of your time and your money to get her to that point. It will take ten to fifteen years of your life, to dedicate to the cause you dream about. So many times, I have seen parents start their children in music lessons, but within a few years, they have lost the heart to continue, because their children have whined and pouted their way through the process and the parents give up on the whole notion.

Parents are actually the first ones who give up, even before the kids do!

Why do you give in to their complaining about practicing? Children can be more consistent in wearing a parent down with their complaining, than parents are consistent in making them adhere to their practicing! It's a parent's job to enforce the discipline of holding them to the task of regular and timely practicing.

~Provide set aside practice time for your child every day! Let nothing steal it. When something does come up, discipline yourself and them, to find another time to get the practicing in. There are very few child prodigies in this world. Most likely, your child will not be one of them; therefore, practice, practice and more practice is the only way they will develop an accomplished talent.

~Set a nearby clock with a timer for the amount of time needed to practice. This gives the child a goal to practice towards. Be in the area while they are doing their practice. Don't leave them on their own. Listen to them. Give encouragement along the way. Offer kind, constructive help and input. Let them know you like what you are hearing! Set the amount of time realistically. The younger the child, the less time they can manage. If they are quite young, break that 30 minute practice session into two 15 minute sessions. Perhaps one in the AM and one in the PM. Be involved with them by listening and appreciating each step.

This makes your child feel like you really are in this adventure with them!
~Inspire your child! Let them hear music in your home, played or sung by people that can inspire. You must love what you want them to love! If you don't have the time of day for violin music and can't tolerate the sound of a piano playing in your home, your child will tire of it too! Music needs to be loved and accepted in your home.

Inspiration is key for motivation!

~Be prepared to spend money on music, music lessons, instruments and instrument upkeep!

If you want your children to learn a discipline such as music, then be willing to sacrifice to have it. Music is one of the few things that you can involve your children in, that will literally last forever! Soccer, gymnastics, and any sport related past time, will profit, but for a short time only. None of those things can you use in service to the Lord. They are all for self and self glory. That doesn’t mean that there is to be no sports activities in the life of your family, but you must choose your priorities if you are dreaming of talents with which one can serve the Lord.

If you choose to put your children into music lessons, avoid spending money on Nintendo, Xbox 360, movies, computer games and Wiii machines. Those will all become distractions and make disciplining your child in the area of music, all that much harder.

~Be wise in the teacher you choose to teach your child. The teacher needs to be accomplished enough to be able to inspire! If the teacher is not a good fit for your child…they will not have the enthusiasm to continue. Know the temperament of your teacher. Grouchy, moody teachers are no fun for a student. The discipline of music is already hard work. Don't make it harder by having the wrong teacher for your child.

As you can see, your dream list will take effort on your part! I can tell you from firsthand experience, that there is nothing more rewarding than the blessing of hearing your son or daughter using their talent for the Lord. Knowing that you sacrificed carnal things in an effort to develop those talents during their growing up years, is more than gratifying! There were many shopping sprees and dinners out that were sacrificed for the sake of giving our children music lessons.

But it was so worth it!