Over the years I have taught my daughters how to do many things so that if there is illness or someone is in the hospital they know how to run a household of ten-- as they have proven in the past with a rocky past year behind us! I think it is so important to not underestimate what a child can do and to continually encourage them to reach for higher goals. Culture misleads us into thinking that we need to constantly do things for our children. I once knew of a father that was making lunch for his children (probably 13 and 15 at the time) to take to school! When he realized he was actually hindering them, he stopped. At this age, children can make dinner for a large family and do it well. They can do many things, and we as parents need to think about ways to constantly challenge them and teach them how to gain skills and be prepared for life.
This year I have many plans under my belt but my heart is to continue to teach my daughters skills that will one day benefit them. I will be purposefully teaching my daughters to cook more healthful recipes from scratch (not from a box) and new skills that could help them to be industrious one day. I am so pleased to say that we will be using the new Homestead Blessing videos (pictured above) to complement what we are doing this year---here is a sample of one of their newest videos on quilting that I have just recently purchased:
They also have videos on:
- canning
- cooking
- candle and soap making
- dairy delights
- gardening, and sewing and much more.
These excellent videos not only teach our daughters but are wonderful for us moms as well!
Learning domestic skills is an art and are vital to every day living. Without skills we can waste money. Mothers, pay attention to what natural gifts the Lord has given your daughter(s) and run with it. Teach them all you can, bring in outside help, grow them and nurture those gifts the best that you can.
I know for my daughters I also have goals for them to be entrepreneurial. I want them to learn skills that will get them through hard times or help their husbands to bring in money--they must learn to be business savvy in a fast paced, competitive world and shaky economy with the gifts that God has given them. I want to help them do that early on so I am teaching them how to bring in multiple streams of income into a household from their home.
We must never entertain the thought that we are depriving or robbing our children of their childhood if we teach them how to work. Children will play and find time have fun on their own--trust me! :) Instead we are equipping them for life! Children must learn good character--diligence, perseverance and so forth. How will they ever get to do it if never given a chance to stretch themselves?
Lay out your plans, mothers, and purposeful!
What will you teach your daughters? What new skills will they acquire?
What will you teach your daughters? What new skills will they acquire?
May we be found faithful as we intentionally teach them new and valuable skills for the new year!
15 comments:
I followed the links from here to Vision Forum to place an order. I hope that was how I was supposed to do it. :o) Naomi
Dear Naomi,
Yes, that is exactly how to do it, just click on the links in the post. Thanks so much, we truly appreciate it and happy 'homesteading' with your daughter(s)!!!
Many blessings...
I have just bought the sewing and bread-making ones for myself.
My son (yes, my son) who is 23 wanted to learn how to make bread, so the both of us are learning this new skill - the DVD will be very helpful, he may not want to watch it, but I will and pass on the skills I have learnt. As for sewing, I am hopeless at it and would love to learn and I hope this helps in my education.
Blessings
PS I have been wanting to thank you for introducing me to NewCreations clothing. I have some much trouble buying skirts in Australia that are modest that I am thrilled to find this on-line store. So far I have purchase 5 and they are fabulous. I plan to buy more next season.
Jo
Mrs. Fuentes,
I have been eyeing this set for some time now. We do not have the funds to purchase the whole set so I have thought about ordering them individually. Do you have a favorite video? I enjoy all sorts of homemaking skills so I am having a hard time choosing just one! I will order through your link when I do get around to ordering them.
Blessings,
Sarah L.
sarah_lownsbery(at)yahoo(dot)com
I read your post first at Raising Homakers and I thought I would copy and paste my comments from there on to here:
Children enjoy work. My two year old daughter is happiest when she gets to help me. If she sees me doing laundry, she starts throwing stuff in as well. She loves to “do” dishes (turns into a big mess, but I love that she wants to help) and the other day she even put all her clothes that she had just taken off into her dresser (wrinkled and crumpled up). I was amazed! Housework and organization have always been a struggle for me and I didn’t want her to struggle in the same way, so I’ve made it a point to praise her every time she does something like that. Generally speaking, I think the main difference between women who love to be organized and women who struggle with it, is in the attitude of the mothers when they are training them. If you get frustrated and criticize, a child does not have the confidence to thrive. If you praise often and make a big deal about the little accomplishments (no matter the mess) and the effort they put forth, they will want to excel and love whatever you are trying to train them to do. Looking forward to the soap and candlemaking videos!
I wonder what ages these are good for. 10 and up maybe?
My little girl is almost 11 months old. I look forward to teaching her new skills and learning some together! It's such a wonderful opportunity! First step for her is learning how to put things back "inside" the toy box rather than always only taking things "out"! :)
Jo,
I know about having sons that like to cook---my son Ravi(9)loves cooking a made banana bread all by himself this morning for our entire family! I can see him enjoying all of this later in life.
Anonymous,
I think these videos are great for any age to view, but you will have to be the judge of what age your particular child can accomplish some of the more difficult tasks.
Sarah L,
I am still going through them and trying to decide. You can go to their website or YouTube and view their trailers to the different videos to get an idea of what you might like.
Ladies,
It is such a blessing to be able to learn along with my daughters, since I was not taught all of these things or practice all of them either. But I think the best part is being able to do it with the gals I love the most! :)
Many blessings...
Thanks for sharing the video;you have and continue to teach your daughters great lessons.
Homestead Blessings is such a wonderful, encouraging, and sweet company! I have greatly enjoyed watching a few of their videos, and would love to see their new ones in the near future!
Many Blessings,
Jenna
There is a joy in teaching our daughters! Me oldest daughter is 3 and she asked for a sewing machine for Christmas... she loves to bake bread with me, clean, paint, garden and more. She makes applesauce for our freezer with me in the fall and this year she will be a part of canning with my son and I.
The worst thing a mom can do is assume that a child won't be interested in something. The are so anxious to know what we know... to do what we do... to be just like us when they are so young.
We are blessed to be raising our grandchildren (5,6,7 at the time) when I had 2 major back surgeries. They were able to make lunch, load and unload dishwasher, write down what groceries we ran out of or needed, help with laundry and they loved it. We can together, bake bread and all of them (2 girls and a boy) can sew buttons, holes, etc. What a gift we give our children or grandchildren when we teach them independence!
I love this videos. I already own several of them, but when I continue to add to our collection I'll come here to order.
I love the Homestead Blessings videos and have all but three of them.
With a farm, our kids do all kinds of "work" and it actually encourages and empowers their little hearts to know they can do "big jobs." I blog about it pretty often, but I've gotten some comments from people about being too strict with them, making them do to much, and even being accused of "child labor abuse" and stealing their childhoods.
One question I do have--how old would you say children should be to handle hot things in and out of the oven and on the stove? Supervised, of course. So far my kids love to help with cooking, but I'm always nervous about someone getting burned. My daughter is 6 and I'm beginning to feel she's mature enough to start really cooking with supervision but not "hand holding" like our boys need (they are 3&4)--I'm the nervous one, not her! :)
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