SINGLE PARENTS

Snippet

Three ways to show love are eye contact, touching and smiles.  In combination with each other, they’re dynamite.  The way we listen to teens also greatly affects how loved they feel and how much they love us.  Parenting Teens With Love and Logic  Foster Cline & Jim Fay PG 45

Scripture

If God doesn’t build the house,

    the builders only build shacks.

If God doesn’t guard the city,

    the night watchman might as well nap.

It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,

    and work your worried fingers to the bone.

Don’t you know he enjoys

    giving rest to those he loves?

 Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?

    the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?

Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows

    are the children of a vigorous youth.

Oh, how blessed are you parents,

    with your quivers full of children!

Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you;

    you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep. Psalms 127 Message

Song

Part Time Dad Tony Young

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSVCuWFT8wk

I had you every other weekend, and on Thursday afternoons

But there was not a day gone by that I did not think of you

Walkin’ past your bedroom or at the table, it ain’t the same without you there

And I wondered what you’re doing, and if you knew how much I cared

And baby I’m sorry, that your mom and me didn’t work out

Can you forgive me? That we had to put you through that

Going back and forth between two homes, often put in the middle of a war zone

And I’m so sorry I could only be a part-time dad

You used to wake me up every Sunday, by crawlin’ in my bed

And all those nights I never tucked you in and kissed you on your head

Drivin’ you to school on Monday mornings became a lonely solo ride

And the house just felt so empty without your laughter and your smile

I can’t believe just how much you’d grown since the time that I saw you last

I hope you know that I tried my best when you look back on the past

You know I never wanted it to be, but I’m so thankful I got to be your dad

Sentence Prayer

To reserve time and fresh energy for my children,

So that I can be their close and interested friend-

To fit my children to meet life and people

Bravely, honestly and independently-

To give my children freedom, but

To teach them how to use that freedom,

So they will not confuse liberty with liscence-

To show my warm love for my children

As conscientiously care for them-

To manage them with intelligence and affection,

And not by punishment, condemnation, fear

Fault finding and nagging-

To guide my children instead

Of driving them-

To direct their energy instead

Of repressing it-

To try to understand my children

Instead of sitting in judgement on them-

And through all misdemeanors both trivial

And serious

To love them steadfastly

(Gladys Hunington Bevans Short Prayers for a long day Charles and Melville Harcourt Pg 36)