Working Class Parenting: Motivation, Education and Inspiration For Parents

Guest Post by Mike Ziadeh, husband, father of three and Youth Pastor @ Spring Lake Methodist Church Brooksville, FL The most important part about writing is to create a clever title, something that wins in the battle of our ever restless attention span. Old school vs. New School, this could be describing any assortment of styles or competitions, but in this case I want to talk about parenting. Parenting styles have been the subject of scrutiny, study, insult, injury , and the source of blame for many generations, but none more so then our current age. This is a sign of the times. We are more introspective, more analytical, and in this highly therapeutic age, we are looking for a finger to point, and a explanation of our current behaviors. All of this leaves us, as parents, awkward, nervous, and unsure of our parenting ability. Many of us feel trapped. How do we do something that we have never seen modeled? (many men trying to be fathers) or How do we take on the task of parenting ...

Interaction with our kids is key to healthy relationships. Here are some creative ideas for playing with your kids this summer. Photo by Victoria Bayer Grab some boats (or make some simple floating ones with bark or paper) and spread out a tarp, shower curtain or plastic tablecloth in the yard.  Drizzle water on it with the hose and sit right smack in the middle of it — getting cool, floating boats, making little island getaways, you name it. Have a photo shoot outside.  Be sure to let the kids take your picture too! Shoot some hoops — even if that means tossing balled up socks into a bowl on the coffee table because it’s 115 degrees outside. Go on a sprinkler walk.  Head to an area of town where people have their sprinklers going and sidewalks that go through them, and try to walk through as many sprinklers to cool down as possible. Make some real fruit slushies.  Toss frozen fruit like strawberries in the blender with some water and sugar to tas...

Just a thought. I often wonder what a child would be like that was saturated with love, support and encouragement. Every area of their lives met based on their developmental stage. Cuddling in the infant years to eye-to-eye communication through the tough and uncertain teen years. What would this child be like? Would he/she be considered a prodigy? A individual before their time? A leader?  A anthropologist? The future of our evolving society does not lay so much in the technological advancement we make, but by the bedtime stories told and the badging of a wounded knees, and shoulders to lean on. The qualities of life are not derived by what we can obtain, but rather by what we can give, a settle smile, a warm hug and the assurance that we am here.

When I was about six years old, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted into the family. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, he had a special place in our home.  My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.  But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

Found this 11 question test over at Parents.com and it was a real eye opener on the actual money cost of having and raising children. I thought I had a good idea of how much my wife and I spend on our daughter. I mean I listen to  Dave Ramsey and I pay the bills in our house and I only got 4 out of 11 questions right (don't tell my wife). This is just a fun little quiz, try it out- Family Finance IQ Test and see if you can beat my score. Just remember children are priceless when you see how much a college degree is going to cost in 18 years.... OUCH!

Remember When Doing Your Family Budget Proverbs 27:23 - (Pay attention to the numbers) Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; (NIV) Ecclesiastes 11:2 - (Save some money) But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.(NLT)  Hebrews 13:5 - (If its not in the budget, then you don't need it) Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, "I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you." (WEB)

I’ve always been the more right brained one in the relationship. I love a challenge. I crave spontaneity and enjoy the uncertainty of flying by the seat of my pants. Oh, did I mention I’m slightly competitive? My lovely and very left brained wife, is as I call her, my Jiminy Cricket, the brakes and the voice of reason, in the whirl wind of my right brained mind. I have great ideas daily. Some are brilliant world saving, much needed antidotes, while others have been considered as dumb as jumping off the roof in a spider man costume. That’s a story for another time. So when I mentioned I wanted to do a 5k, 15 obstacle mud run as a family, I was given the “What you talking bout Willis” face and abruptly told no. I really thought this would be fun for the fam. After a month of persuasion, I convinced my wife and 14 year old daughter to run with me. Unfortunately my 10 year old son was to young. The rut of everyday life becomes mundane and an unnecessary evil on the working class familie...

A family's net worth is everything they own minus everything they owe. The average net worth of a family today in the USA is $77,000, about the same as 20 years ago. Also, 20 years ago on September 28, is when Dave Ramsey first went on the air with his radio show. If you are not familiar with him, he believes the best way for a family to succeed financially is to be debt-free. No credit cards, No car loans and eventually No mortgage too. If you are struggling with your family fiances or you just don't want your children to make the same money mistakes you did, take a minute and listen to his show, and twenty years from now your family net worth will thank you.