My Momography

As a family we boat in the summer and go for hikes year round (we live in Kentucky so this possible!).

Noah and I both love to read and our bedtime ritual includes Noah reading to me and me reading to Noah -- on nights when I have class Daddy takes over. Often Noah's reading is the story he is working on for school that week but together we have read Harry Potter, Spiderwick Chronicles, Beast Quest, Rowan of Rin series, and Books of Wonder.

We also work together. Noah has chores, helps cook and clean, and is a big help with many of my church duties.

Noah and his father do lots of projects together and we often do crafts together. Noah is very into writing lately so I have been helping him publish his stories on the web.

Note: We built the arch above together -- it required all 3 of us to do it.

I believe that by making a purposeful commitment to support my son's education and spiritual growth (volunteering in his classroom and teaching both Children's Church and Sunday School) I show him that these things matter -- that he matters. I don't just walk the walk and say education is important and faith is important -- I show him that by putting my valuable time to use in those areas.

I am an extremely busy person (I work full time and am working on my Ph.D.). If I can make the time to do these things then you can too. Stop making excuses and make commitments. You don't have to do everything. I draw the line at sports and scouts. I'll cart my kid to practices, games, and events for those organizations but I don't take a leadership role. But you should pick at least one area of your child's life that you think is important and actively support it.

Involving myself in every aspect of my son's life allows me to really know all the adults and children in it. Volunteering in his classroom gives me insight into his school day I would never have otherwise and helps me know his friends. Talking with his teachers, coaches, and scout leaders also helps me see another side of my son's life that I would not get if I just dropped him off at the door.

OK, I do not say this in front of my son but I find Pokemon rather boring and while I do prefer WebKinz to those other similar animals (what is with those big eyes?) with web accounts I am not really as fascinated by his pets and their activities (not to mention his friends pets and activities) as he seems to think. I listen to him talk on and on about these things because I love him and these hobbies are important to him. I want him to know that I will always listen to him.

It is also about the little things. For example, I think reading is very important. So I set a good example not only by reading but by taking care of my books and talking about books. We spend a lot of time reading together, picking out books together both at the bookstore and library, and talking about books. Isn't it great fun to be able to share something so fun and yet so important with the person who matters most?