Our goal for our children is to get them involved in an activity that they can take with them into adulthood. I want them to enjoy physical exercise for their health and swimming has been a great chance for my girls to work on their diligence as well as learning how to respect and obey their swim teacher. We do plan to start them in piano when they are around 6.

From an academic standpoint, we want our children to love learning, love seeking, and for this to be a lifelong process. We homeschool, and I agree with Sally in that the literature you get to choose to read with your children can be so enriching and so inspiring. We get to pursue their interests which also helps to excite them about learning. We have also started a Spanish program with our girls, 3 and 5, and my husband does it with them for a short time a few days a week. My three year old is loving it the most, and it has been great to talk to the girls about how someday this skill may help them talk to others in Spanish about Jesus.

Lastly, but in my heart, most importantly, I want to nurture a servant’s heart in my children. The kind of heart that I wish I had in my younger years and am still working slowly towards myself. A heart that notices when others are in need of a kind word, a sweet smile or an invitation to play. This takes form by encouraging my children to be respectful of all adults, from thanking the cashier at the grocery store, asking permission for a sample at Costco, thanking the storytime teacher at the library, asking what they can do to help in Sunday School. My desire is that they would naturally see the needs of others first, and that as Jesus came to serve and not be served, our family would follow His example.