Do not get me wrong, I would NOT give up my life for anything in the world. It can be difficult managing a house where there are more kids than adults (5 kids with 2 adults). Trying to balance all the activities with daily life needs can be a struggle at times but just as rewarding. The best balance is to seek the guidance of God and pray for the patience to deal with daily struggles. That is one of the ways we (Catherine and I) are outnumbered.
However, the out-numbering I am referring to is having more women in the house than men. The ratio again is 5 to 2. I know I have my hands full with 4 little girls that will be growing into women. It has already started with the eldest (11 years old). My wife and I do our best to give her the loving guidance she needs to grow. She is struggling and I pray to God everyday that she just finds the simple resolve to seek His word to cope with her struggles. This past Christmas, we gave the older 2 girls a mother daughter journal. A simple gift that has bible verses for them to review as well as a chance to write to their mother about stuff they are nervous about openly talking about. If they write something in there, they hand it to Catherine that night so that she can read it and write a response. I can only hope that they will cherish this opportunity when they are unsure how to address a concern without having their other siblings getting in the middle.
I pray that each of these girls reach out to the Lord for guidance as they grow up. I do not want them to make all the mistakes I made growing up. I did not grow up in the church and did not have the right guidance through the Lord. It wasn't until I met Catherine that I found that need in my life. I do not want that for my girls or for my son either. I want them to grow up with God first and foremost in their hearts.
The one thing that scares me with my girls is that they will get caught up in society's idea of what girls should be wearing. It is not a matter of showing as much flesh as possible. That only leads our young men to sin. As my children have gotten older, I have pointed out what I consider to be appropriate clothing and in-appropriate clothing. The focus was on the older 2 girls and my son but I was very impressed when the 5 year old makes it a point to tell us when she sees someone dressed inappropriately. That lets me know she is listening and understanding right from wrong when it comes to clothing. She also makes it a point to remind us at each meal that we need to say the blessing.
Our society is so intent on tearing our values down. A good example for many of us to follow is Tim Tebow. Everyone is waiting for this young man to make a mistake but yet they don't see the message he is trying to send. He has a love for the Lord more than anyone I have ever seen. When my girls get to the point of seeking that right man to be in their life, I want him to love the Lord more than anyone else, even himself. Yes, I want them to marry a guy like Tim Tebow. To help provide them with that example, as their father, I try my best to guide them in the right direction. The annual daddy daughter dance is a great help that even my 5 year old gets excited about. That excitement usually started about 3 or 4 months after the last one. She never forgets! It is one of many ways to guide them and as long as they see me as the spiritual leader in my house trying to guide them, I believe they will follow. It helps to pray along the way, too.
When it comes to my son, I want him to love the Lord more than himself. I feel that he has started in the right direction and just pray to God that he continues down the right path. He does have a good heart and has done a great job dealing with the fact that he is the only other man in a house with 5 women. How do I balance that time with him and keep him humble at the same time. By trying to make some men time for him. Our church has a men's breakfast that is done 4 to 5 times a year. We try to get to each of these events, not only to be with like minded men, but to help prepare the breakfast each time. One of our church ministries reaches out to our young men with activities for them (baseball games and camping trips) and we make time for that as well.
As I said it the beginning, it is not easy but I would NOT change it for anything in the world. Having 5 children (4 of them girls) maybe the most challenging thing in my life but I have learned that God would not give me anything I cannot handle. When asked if we are done having children, we simply reply that we will know when God lets us know. It is in His hands and to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. Even if it means we stay out-numbered....
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