Faith | VIVIAN KIRKFIELD – Writer for Children

Image by limaoscarjuliet via Flickr

One of the greatest things about blogging is the opportunity it provides you with to read the blogs of others.

There are some fantastic writers out there!

Of course, there are only 24 hours in each day, so there is a limit to how many other blogs one can read and still have time to write one’s own. 🙂

I follow several bloggers…and there is one that I read faithfully every day. Today’s post from Elizabeth of Mirth and Motivation is about faith in small things.

I began thinking about that and thought about a loving couple who join together and create life. That new life is definitely a VERY small thing and what a great deal of faith parents have in their unborn child!

The tiny collection of cells that becomes a living, breathing baby and then the tiny baby, helpless and vulnerable, unable to do anything for itself except breathe and cry who becomes a toddler, unsteady on his feet.

The toddler who learns to talk and walk and write his or her name…I know it takes a lot of faith to be a parent…a lot of faith in small things…a lot of faith to see the process of raising a child from infancy to adolescence and beyond.

As parents we need to have faith in ourselves and in our ability to be good parents and also faith in our children and in their potential to grow up to be successful and happy people…as the Bible says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain – MOVE – and it will move from here to there.”

Since this is Make-A-Meal Mondays, I searched through SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING for a recipe that would be appropriate for this post…one that called for mustard in the ingredient list.

CHILD-FRIENDLY FISH CASSEROLE FROM THE SEVEN SEAS

You will need: 10 oz creamy potato leek soup, 1¼ cups milk, 1¼ cups uncooked rice, 1 can tuna drained, 1 box frozen peas, ¼ lb sliced American cheese, ½ tsp mustard, 2 quart casserole dish with cover (or use aluminum foil) and a sauce pan.

1. Mix the soup and milk in the pan and bring to a boil and then remove from heat.

2. Put ½ of the soup mixture into a casserole dish and add the rice, tuna, peas and mustard.

3. Pour in the remaining soup mixture and top with cheese slices.

4. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

5. Serves 4. Add a salad and fresh whole-wheat rolls for a lovely dinner.

Does your preschooler enjoy helping you in the kitchen?

Letting your children help in meal preparation does so much to build their self-esteem. It’s also a great way to encourage fussy eaters to try new things. If you purchase a copy of my new parenting book, now on sale at half-price on my website, you’ll find 100 child-friendly healthful recipes that you and your child can prepare together…most take just 15 minutes to prepare.

Just 15 minutes can build your child’s self-esteem…is there a better way to spend that time?

Please stop by tomorrow for Quotable Timeless Tuesdays for some wonderful quotations about FAITH.

Image via Wikipedia

Have you heard what Jesus said according to Matthew 17:20?

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move.”

We hear a lot about faith…but what is it really?

The dictionary defines faith as, “Confident belief in the truth, value or trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing. It is a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.”

In the Nanny McPhee movies, the final lesson for the children is: HAVE FAITH!

As parents, I guess we need to answer two questions.

1. Do young children need to have faith?

2. How can we “teach” our children to have faith?

For me, the answer to the first question is a definite YES! Children need to have faith…in themselves, in their parents and other caregivers, and in the natural order of the universe.

Regarding question two, we can “teach” children to have faith in two easy steps:

1. Have faith in yourself…set goals and follow through until you reach them. Also, work towards realizing your dreams.

2. Have faith in your children…show them you believe in them by listening to their concerns and opinions with respect. Encourage their strengths and support and praise their good efforts. Be consistent about expecting them to accept the appropriate consequences for their actions.

A wonderful example of a child who had tremendous faith in himself and in the natural order of the universe can be found in a classic children’s picture book, THE CARROT SEED, written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Crocket Johnson. A little boy plants a carrot seed and always remembers to water it and pull up the weeds. Although he doesn’t get any encouragement from his family, he continues to care for it. His hard work and faith are rewarded when the carrot seed grows…into an enormous carrot plant! When the little boy pulls the mature carrot plant out of the ground, the carrot is SO BIG; he needs a wheelbarrow to cart it away.

In my new parenting book, you will find two activities that extend this learning activity: planting a carrot seed and making carrot soup.

Have you heard about the 3-DAY Pre-Valentine’s Day Event going on right now?

You can grab a copy of the book that contains 100 EASY CHILD-FRIENDLY HEALTHFUL COOKING ACTIVITIES AND 100 SIMPLE ECO-FRIENDLY CRAFT PROJECTS at the regular cover price and you will RECEIVE ANOTHER COPY FREE!

Head on over to my website to get all the details…but please hurry…this SHARE THE LOVE BOGO BOOK EVENT goes away at 11:59pm on Monday night.

I hope you enjoyed the Lessons of Nanny McPhee. I had fun writing them and I loved reading your comments. J