Family Rules

This picture is of our Family Rule board. It's about 2 1/2 ft. tall and sits at the end of the table just in case anyone has any questions about what really is expected! The rules came about for the boys about 6 years ago. Let me tell you why! My daughter and I were planning our first night alone, granted, she hadn't quite been born yet, but I was eager to shoo the boys out the door for their annual 'Father's and Son's' outing. This was the first year that the twins would go since they were potty trained and knew what was going on and didn't want to be left out. As excited as I was to have that weekend alone, I was VERY NERVOUS about my hubby being in the mountains with 5 boys 9 and under. After being reassured that "Honey we'll be FINE" about a million times they left. That was a Friday night. Saturday afternoon they got back, dirty, smelling like campfire, and happy. It wasn't until SUNDAY at CHURCH that I was asked if I had been scared, if I was EVER going to let ALL of the boys go again, and if my little ones were ok??? Apparently, one of the twins had been playing on the mountainside with all the other little boys when, as he said, "they all disappeared". He couldn't find his way back to the camp, and finally sat down around somebody else's campfire, since by then it was DARK. Our group launched a little search party when he was noticed as missing and found him within an hour sitting there by himself at the other party's fire. (AAAHHHHHGGGGHHHH!!!!!!) When I asked my hubby about it later that day, he said, "well, it turned out that he was ok, and he had done the right thing to find a fire to go to". I burst into tears and for the first time in my life had to come to grips with the firm reality that my children are on loan from the Lord. There is so much in their lives that will be (and rightfully so--even if with my heart pounding! hard to accept) out of my control. My job is to give them skills that will help them live full and happy lives. It is also to never let a day go by that I don't pray for their protection and my guidance of anything I need to teach them. The rules for the girls came just last year. As I watch the world around us fill with all things negative and base, I wanted to provide a thought process for my little girl and I that lifted our sights, and gave us More to follow than what we can so readily see. We repeat our family rules whenever the kids go off to "play". We all chuckle, but inside, I know we really mean it!