Veggie tales or I failed as a parent again...
All things being relative (and all that) David and Ashley have a social studies test tomorrow on the Assyrian Empire. Funny how I'm reading a book that takes place in that part of the world just a few hundred years later...but that is not the point of this post.
We are quizzing David, asking questions pertaining to battle tatics and such(of interest to me on several levels lol), when I decide to try and cross referance David's head. For me this makes it easier when I need to recall info. I relate it to another subject. He was having problems remembering names like Nebuchadnezzer, Nineveh, and Hittites; dates where not being kind either. He said he was becoming confused because the numbers moved in the wrong direction. This I understood. I explained dates use BC and AD the same way numbers use negative and positive. When looking at a number line negative moves from greater to smaller until reaching 0. A time line does the same with christ's life as 0. You could see the light come on, his face actually did brighten as he understood. "Oh, so BC is negative and AD is postive..that explains it. I was always confused how we got to the 1900s!" Task one down.
Now for the name issue: David, where have you heard of Nineveh before? "uh, veggie tales?" Doh slap self to the forehead. "you know the guy gotten eaten by the whale 'cause he tried to hide from God?" Signs I've spent to much time on the New Testement and not enough on the Old. Yet it gets worse..David connects the dots with Nineveh and the name sticks. Now Nebuchadnezzer have you heard of him? "Don't think so." So I threw out a few names..Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego(one of my all time favorite stories..not for the fire or even the 4th body in the fire, but I just love the sound of their names..it's like a movie title or adventure story..maybe even a ballad..) I got a blank stare. I say Daniel? "Uncle Daniel?" uh, no ..I try Daniel and lions.."oh the guy who God closed the lions mouths for and it shocked the king?" Thank God he remembered one. "That's it" I said, "Now, who was the king?" Ding lightbulb.."Nebuchadnesser?"
Houston we have lift off! Second light bulb; "All these people are in the bible? I don't believe you." Mwhaahhhhaa So I showed him. Chris, looking over my shoulder, says "Wow, I didn't know Daniel lived until King Cyrus of Persia showed up..that's cool that's what we are studying now." Bang, Bang goes my head.
There are times when I doubt myself as a parent and as a christian..this is one of those times. Not that my faith isn't strong enough, but that I don't show them enough, instruct them enough, equip them correctly to face the world with their faith and beliefs, to know why I hold them, or why they hold what beliefs they hold. That in this sence I have failed them and God with what I was instructed to do. Bring them up in the ways of the Lord and it will sustain them all of their lives..
I am so thankful that God understands and knows my limits and loves me despite them.
Now I'm going back to reread Daniel..I forgot how much I love this book of the Bible and all the hidden pieces of meat betweens it's pages....
I love dots..I'm reading a book, where part of the story takes place in the same time/area as my children are studying in school..What a sense of humor HE has.
We are quizzing David, asking questions pertaining to battle tatics and such(of interest to me on several levels lol), when I decide to try and cross referance David's head. For me this makes it easier when I need to recall info. I relate it to another subject. He was having problems remembering names like Nebuchadnezzer, Nineveh, and Hittites; dates where not being kind either. He said he was becoming confused because the numbers moved in the wrong direction. This I understood. I explained dates use BC and AD the same way numbers use negative and positive. When looking at a number line negative moves from greater to smaller until reaching 0. A time line does the same with christ's life as 0. You could see the light come on, his face actually did brighten as he understood. "Oh, so BC is negative and AD is postive..that explains it. I was always confused how we got to the 1900s!" Task one down.
Now for the name issue: David, where have you heard of Nineveh before? "uh, veggie tales?" Doh slap self to the forehead. "you know the guy gotten eaten by the whale 'cause he tried to hide from God?" Signs I've spent to much time on the New Testement and not enough on the Old. Yet it gets worse..David connects the dots with Nineveh and the name sticks. Now Nebuchadnezzer have you heard of him? "Don't think so." So I threw out a few names..Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego(one of my all time favorite stories..not for the fire or even the 4th body in the fire, but I just love the sound of their names..it's like a movie title or adventure story..maybe even a ballad..) I got a blank stare. I say Daniel? "Uncle Daniel?" uh, no ..I try Daniel and lions.."oh the guy who God closed the lions mouths for and it shocked the king?" Thank God he remembered one. "That's it" I said, "Now, who was the king?" Ding lightbulb.."Nebuchadnesser?"
Houston we have lift off! Second light bulb; "All these people are in the bible? I don't believe you." Mwhaahhhhaa So I showed him. Chris, looking over my shoulder, says "Wow, I didn't know Daniel lived until King Cyrus of Persia showed up..that's cool that's what we are studying now." Bang, Bang goes my head.
There are times when I doubt myself as a parent and as a christian..this is one of those times. Not that my faith isn't strong enough, but that I don't show them enough, instruct them enough, equip them correctly to face the world with their faith and beliefs, to know why I hold them, or why they hold what beliefs they hold. That in this sence I have failed them and God with what I was instructed to do. Bring them up in the ways of the Lord and it will sustain them all of their lives..
I am so thankful that God understands and knows my limits and loves me despite them.
Now I'm going back to reread Daniel..I forgot how much I love this book of the Bible and all the hidden pieces of meat betweens it's pages....
I love dots..I'm reading a book, where part of the story takes place in the same time/area as my children are studying in school..What a sense of humor HE has.
posted by Bk30 at 9/25/2006 04:34:00 PM
4 Comments:
M,S and A were a question on Jeopardy the other night, one woman answered, but made the usual mistake of saying "Abendego", (which I knew was wrong) and was disallowed. As for showing your faith and why you hold it; you model it for you children everyday. And don't forget the two "great commandments", on these hang all others. You do well grasshopper.
"If my lips ever left my mouth, packed a bag and headed south, I'd be so sad...I'd call my dad."
You are a great mom! I am sooo impressed.
Thanks M, parents have off days too. LOL, now share your nuggets with me :)
If the connections aren't there, it's not surprising that he can't keep the names straight, but you went the extra mile and provided him with context. That will also make the Old Testament more interesting to him.
Have you read The Source by James Michener? It's a historically accurate (insofar as we can be, naturally) account of people living in Israel over a period of thousands of years. I read it about a decade and a half ago for the first time, and reread it every now and then.
Point being that, fictional account that it was, it helped me link the bits and pieces of what I knew of the Old Testament into a framework of sorts. I now understand the Old Testament better, and Jewish history better, as a result of that work of fiction.
Plus it's a good read anyway. :)
I highly recommend it.
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