When our daughter was born, she had the prettiest eyes, and when her hair began to grow in, it came in little brownish kiss curls around her ears and at the nape of her neck. I could have cuddled her all day, except her older siblings and the care of her as a new baby took up quite a bit of my time.
By the time she was three, she was helping me pick blueberries from the field across the street. When I kneaded bread dough, she loved to have a little ball of dough so she could knead, too. She helped me hang the wash and fold the dry clothes. All day she helped me joyfully. We loved to be together.
As the years went by, her attitude changed. When asked to do something for me, she would pout and fail to do what I had asked. In my mind I excused her because she’d been so helpful during the times we had worked together. Every time I responded this way, without realizing it I was teaching her to be self-willed and disobedient. God says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Eph. 6:11Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1)). My job as a parent was to be sure she obeyed me. Obedience is doing what is asked, which she no longer did, rather than being helpful when it pleases us, which she had done before. My failure in teaching her obedience has had lasting effects on our family. I would encourage each of my young sisters to hold your children responsible for doing the things you have asked of them.