Training up children: Blended families

Today we will be hearing from a homeschooling mom of seven children to find out how she teaches her children about faith and life. See the slide show at the bottom of the page for photos.

Tell us about you and your family.
I'm a stay at home homeschooling mom of 7 children. My husband and I have had a blended and unusual family for the 12 years that we've been together. 2 of my 7 children are, as the world calls them, step-daughters although to me, they are my children and to them I am Mom. I've been raising them as Mom for 12 years. We also have a nephew that we have custody of. God just recently sent him to us this past year. My children's ages are 18, 16, 15, 15, 11, 9 and 7.

How do you teach your children about your faith and values?
We teach our kids daily about God. The verse in Deuteronomy 6:7, "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" was a big one in letting us know how to raise our children to have relationship with our Lord.

There are many opportunities throughout the day to teach our children about God's forgiveness, love and mercy. It can be something as simple as asking your child to notice how beautiful the leaves are in the fall and starting a conversation about how much God loves us (to give us such a beautiful world, the ability to see color, ect.)

We also share with our children any struggles we (as parents) have and how God blesses us and teaches us. We feel that if they see God working in our lives, it will reaffirm what we teach them. Just yesterday, we sat down with them and shared how faithful God is in his word. We were experiencing a bit of financial struggles this past week and were down to nothing yesterday morning. I still gave our tithe and we just waited on God to provide. Someone handed my husband 10 times the amount of our tithe yesterday and we didn't even have to ask! No one knew about our problems except God and He provided!

We've also shared with them personal struggles that we have had and how God has helped us to overcome them. I think it is really important for your children to see what you are going through and then to hear how God brought you out of it. All of my older children have said at one point or another that my husband and I have changed so much since we were saved 6 years ago. Kids notice the change and if you are not telling them who is causing the change, they won't know. We tell our kids about God every chance we can get. The nightly bible studies are great and necessary but I know that they are learning more from the little "talks" and our own sharing of how God is working in our lives.

Share some of your favorite faith-based activities with us.
We love to watch Christian movies together. We all get comfy on the couches, pop some pop corn and relax and watch. We always have a discussion after the movie about what we learned or thought the film was saying. Some of our favorite movies are Fireproof, Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Joshua and Faith like Potatoes.

What tips do you have for parents who want to pass down values and beliefs to their children?
My tip would be to let your children see God through you. We have a powerful influence on how our children see God. If we constantly bring up their past mistakes, they are more likely to view God as someone who does the same. If we discipline them out of anger or hurt them, they may view God as the same way. Let them know your shortcomings and how God is working to help you overcome any obstacles. Share with them any lesson you've learned and any way that God has blessed you. Teach them daily, in small bursts, about the love and awesomeness of God.

I think the best thing we can do for our children is show them, by example, what being a Christian really means. It's not about being perfect, it's about seeking God with our whole hearts, minds and souls. Teach them that God is available and waiting for them to run to Him. Teach them that God is not human and He will never have a bad day or not have enough time for them. He will always forgive any mistake. Let them hear your pray, let them see the importance of studying the word by observing you doing it daily, tell them about your own struggles and how God has helped you overcome them and tell them about the ways that God provides and cares for you all.