:: Family First ::

:: While on my quest to start off my year right and taking my word of the year into account (more on what that is later) -- I went down to the crawl space and took out a few books that I wanted to read through again ::

:: Cause I really have so much time for reading. Ha! ::

:: I do actually make time for reading; I really really really love to read, and I'm one of these people who actually marks up my books and highlights them as I go along ::

:: One of the books I pulled out was Family First by Dr. Phil -- Now I don't, nor will I ever put all of my trust in another human or take every ounce of what they say to be 100% applicable to my life - however I do think that some thoughts and ideas from an outside source is sometimes welcome, especially when it comes to raising a family ::

:: Here is a quote from his book that I read last night, this is truly how I feel and reading this book just gives us the tools to bring our kids up on the straight and narrow path that we are called to walk ::

It is time that as parents we say, "hey, I do not surrender, I do not give up. I will not be intimidated by all the forces tugging on my children and family. I will not accept that disconnected children are just 'how it is' these days. I do not accept the epidemics of oral sex, drugs and alcohol in the middle and upper schools. I do not accept a child that appears 'deaf' when I say, 'pick up your toys and don't hit your sister in the head anymore.' I will not continue to parent out of fear that my kids won't like me if I require more from them behaviorally, academically and spiritually as I teach them that relationship-building is important in life. I will not feel guilty and go into debt trying to keep them in designer clothes and toys/activities from preschool on up! I am not charged with being their friend, I am charged with being their parent, their protector, their teacher and their leader. I will 'rise above my raisin', if necessary, to break any family legacy that may be contaminating how I lead my family and deal with my children. Give me the specific tools, guidance and techniques and I will work to socialize my children in a way so that they become immune to the many seductive promises of instant gratification, false realities and provocative lifestyles of today's fast paced world. I will not let the television or Internet 'babysit' them as I communicate only through emails, pagers and cell phones. I will instead plug in the old-fashioned way and prepare them to deal with the distractions that assault them and blur their vision of self. I will create the pride, unity and loyalty and 'team spirit' that is so critical to a phenomenal family."

:: What a stinkin' great statement, and I totally feel that we as parents are called to do just that. Now if anyone knows what 'rise above my raisin' means, I would love to know - cause just in case y'all forgot I was born in the North but I've got roots somewhere in the South - I'm sure of it! ;) ::

:: The other book that I pulled out was Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson, I have yet to crack that one, but in a few weeks I'll probably post a bit about that one too...do any of you have a great 'self help' type book (other than the Bible) that you could share with me? ::