Family issues

My brain must be going a-mile-a-minute lately.  I feel like every time I sit down to write, I'm trying to organize thoughts that have been stirring for a while.  More friends, more blog entries, more conversations, more thoughts.

The other day I was staring into my fridge, deciding what to make for dinner.  We've been trying to reduce the amount of wheat we eat.  But that meant our meat intake went up.  I always tried to integrate vegetarian meals throughout the week, but without pasta and breads, what was I supposed to make?  There are only so many ways to cook beans, so many days I can serve vegetable plates.

I felt tired, from the food issues, but also from many other ideas that were competing for my attention.  There didn't seem to be enough time in the day to address all these concerns, implement all these routines, discuss all these issues.

The thought jumped into my mind, and it was a brilliant thought, a breath of fresh air, the pick-me-up I needed.  I don't need to address them all.  Yes, they are all important, but that doesn't mean they are all important to my family, or my children.  My job is to discern the issues that my own children will face and help prepare them for those.  Discernment is the key idea here.

I worry and worry and worry about the amount of media my children are exposed to.  But maybe counting the minutes isn't where I need to spend my efforts.

Maybe my children will be just fine with the exposure they have.  Maybe not.  Maybe one of my kids will be prone to days on end in a basement in front of a video game.

Maybe my kids don't need every food item that goes into their mouth monitored.  Maybe they do.

Maybe as they grow, my children will come to love the outdoors naturally, and so I don't need to worry about trying to bundle up 3 kids and a baby for 15 minutes of trudging in the backyard snow.  Or maybe if I don't start the habit now they will never develop it.

Maybe my children will thrive in a school environment.  Maybe they will have brilliant teachers who inspire them in subjects I am sorely lacking.  Maybe they will be teased or bullied and need to be homeschooled.

Maybe, in their spiritual development, my kids will need the structure of a Family Home Evening every week.  Maybe they need to hear us reading bible stories.  Maybe they need a focus on prayer.

When I think of all the things "good parents" could do, I realize I cannot do them all.  But I can do some things.  And it won't be everything.  But it will be everything they need.