HOME IS WHERE MY HEART IS
HOME IS WHERE MY HEART IS
You can buy me everything and still not give me what I need. When I say no, sometimes I’m testing you to see if you will teach me to say yes. When I want to give up and I go against your rules, I’m looking for you to set boundaries, in love, so I can see another way. When I throw a fit because I don’t get my way, the easy way out is to yell at me, but try another way. Try to understand why I’m crying, why I’m not listening, or why I’m acting out. Sometimes the things you perceive as my ‘bad behavior’ is my cry out for more quality time with you. You are the first person to teach me to listen, to love, to interact with the world outside of my home. Did you do all you can to make my house a home? A place where I feel loved, understood, protected, valued, treasured, respected, and honored. A place where happy memories are formed regularly. A place where we sit together at the dinner table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A place where we share cuddle time on the couch as a family. A place where we run in the backyard, take walks around the neighborhood, or go on family bike rides. A place where we have water gun fights in the backyard and relay races down the street. A place where you read me stories before bedtime. A place we have daily devotions where I have a chance to learn to pray and communicate in my own language to God from an early age? A place where I get a chance to read my bible in front of our family at my level of understanding. A place where mommy, daddy, or grandparents pray over me in the middle of the night for God’s protection throughout my life.
If you find yourself wondering if you gave the special child in your life a house or a home, then remember it’s never too late to turn a new leaf, learn another way, and try another life path for your family. Pursue love, tenderness, quality time, and make new memories not attached to tradition but being mindful of where your kids are at the present moment. So many of us let life and time just pass without seizing the day that is in front of us. Years will pass, and when we look back the only thing that will really matter is if you made your house a happy home.
Written with love and a heart for kids
By Elizabeth Jennings