Gail Ingis | Being Thankful

There are some Thanksgivings my husband Tom and I travel to Phoenix, Arizona to
visit our grandchildren in the west. This year our Marietta, GA family joined us
here in Phoenix. There are eleven of us, five are the kids. We love it, the
cousins love getting together, we have fun, lots of laughing and telling stories
and, of course, eating out, eating in, and eating on the big day.Thanksgiving is
always a special time for us, a time to reflect on what we're thankful for. I'm
thankful for family and for the time we get to spend with them. Our New Jersey
(in the east) seven grandchildren will party with us at Christmas time.

Grandchildren are the rewards for motherhood. Motherhood, a job no one is really
prepared for. Parenting isn't taught, and why not? All we have are the role
models that parented us. Right? They didn't go to school for parenting, neither
did their parents. This is sometimes good, and sometimes bad.

We learn how to do so many other life jobs, but no schooling for parenting. How
about a required course in college? Can't graduate unless you've taken the
parenting course. Oh my goodness, who will teach it? Think . . . who is
qualified to teach parenting? A psychologist? A psychiatrist? A nurse, doctor,
other parents? This is a dilemma. How about a grandmother with a PhD in child
psychology and a dozen grandchildren? Did Dr. Spock have it right? He wasn't
bad, but this is a broad subject. Like teaching anything, it depends on the
recipient. For example, I taught tennis for years, not all my students learned a
forehand the same way. I had to adjust my instructions until they executed a
proper forehand. That's just a small detail, so, what about raising children?
How do you teach what ‘NO' means, what ‘YES' means? For me, bottom line is
always teach with love, patience, and example. Patience, patience, patience -
explain why it's no or yes and explain with love. This is a broad statement, yet
basic.

In the bible, The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living in accord with the Holy Spirit according to the Epistle to the Galatians: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." You don't have to be religious to appreciate The Fruit of the Spirit. First is love . . . bringing up a child is challenging to say the least. They must be taught and disciplined with love and patience. Children need to be taught that there are consequences for improper decisions.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Love to you all.

Julie Lyles Carr is a talented speaker and author who writes about motherhood and raising children. Her most recent book, Raising an Original: Parenting Each Child According to their Unique God-Given Temperament. A book to check out! Julie Lyles Carr
Julie Lyles Carr holds a degree in psychology which she uses every day in her parenting of eight children and also a degree in English Literature, which came in handy for writing a book on parenting. She is a popular speaker and blogger. Julie is also an audiobook narrator, having voiced a large collection of Harper Collins, Zondervan, and Thomas Nelson projects. She serves as the Pastor of Women's Ministry at her home church of Life, Austin in Austin, Texas. Julie is also the Founder and Executive Director of Legacy of Hope Austin, a non-profit group dedicated to serving families of children with special needs. Julie and her husband Michael have been married for almost twenty-six years. You can read more about their family adventures at here.. Gail Ingis is an author, artist/painter and interior designer. Her upcoming romance The Unforgettable Miss Baldwin will be released on Valentine's Day 2018. Her current historical romance, Indigo Sky can be purchased on amazon.