Ways to Honor Your Parents

I recently bought a copy of "Polished Cornerstones" and received it in the mail on Monday. If you have never heard of "Polished Cornerstones," it is a book that is used to train daughters to become like the Proverbs 31 woman. It can easily be incorporated into a homeschooling curriculum. There are a lot of projects for girls to work on, and this book can be used for girls of all ages.

I looked through the book on Monday night to see what Cate's first project would be. To go with the lesson on obedience, we started with "a submissive woman." The project I decided on first was Project C. Cate needed to make a list of 10 ways she could show her parents honor and respect. To help her get started, I also attempted this project.

As an adult, I can also show my parents honor and respect. I came up with a list of five things:

1. Ask for their opinion about a problem that I'm having. Thank them for their help.
2. Remember their birthdays and anniversary by giving them a card and a thoughtful gift.
3. Say kind things about them, even if they're not around.
4. As an adult, I need to not rely on my parents to meet my basic needs.
5. Be a good houseguest when I visit. Offer to help clean the house. Keep my own personal space tidy.

I'm sure there are other things I could come up with, but this was a start for me.

This morning I had Cate work on this project. Since my niece was over, I had her participate in the project as well. They both came up with separate lists.






Here is Cate's list:

1. Obey without being asked twice.
2. Do a chore without being asked.
3. Do not whine when they ask me to do something.
4. Let Andrea's dogs out without being reminded.
5. Play with James without being asked.
6. Fill salt and pepper shakers without being asked.
7. Clean basement without being told to.
8. Feed dogs without being reminded.
9. Clean my room without being asked.
10. Remember their anniversary.

Here is my niece's list:

1. Obey them when they ask me to do something.
2. Get them a present for mother's day, like flowers.
3. Show you can do something on your own.
4. Feed the cats when they don't ask me to.
5. Clean the living room without being told to.
6. Get breakfast without my mom making it.
7. Caring for mom and dad and love them.
8. When you come home from school, kiss them and tell them you love them.
9. Make a card on their birthday.
10. Clean the whole house.

They came up with some great things. One thing that I thought of was something that you can't really appreciate until you become a parent. An important way that children can show their parents honor is by behaving well out in public. Our children are a reflection of us in how they behave with other adults outside of the home. When I get comments about how well-behaved my children are, I know I am doing my job as a parent. Even if I feel ineffective at teaching my children discipline and respect, I know that they are learning something.

We also talked about what it means to be submissive and how we are always submissive to someone, whether it be our parents, teachers, employers, spouses, or God. This is probably one of the most important lessons that our children can learn.

Psalm 127:3--"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him."