Sunday Redneck Parenting Tips

I rarely post on Sunday because I really have been trying to honor the day of rest thing. I find we all need it. But sometimes it's restful to blog and connect with you darling readers. Kids are all running around after church, dogs are barking, this is definitely the most restful place.

My children are growing at an alarming speed. It's very interesting to see them develop as individuals in so many ways. But another fascinating aspect of their development is to see how their relationships develop: their relationship with God, with their cousins, with their siblings, with their grandparents, with their friends. These relationships will play (and in my older kids--have already played) a significant role in their life. I look back and know that people like my piano teacher had an enormous impact on me.

SO, I have a few redneck tips for cultivating lifelong relationships between your children and others:
1. Take naked pictures of them with other kids when they're very small--they 'll always have the bond of humiliation
2. Pair them with others for new experiences--like a windsurfing lesson or crabbing trip
3. Allow them to get in trouble together and then get punished together (I have a vivid memory of stealing blackberries with my cousin and eating them until we both threw up--in that instance, we were self-punished)
4. Let them get really mad at you together. Nothing bonds siblings like being mad at your parents. Well, okay, ridiculing parents seems to have the same effect, but I don't like that so much.
5. Get your child to teach this person a new skill (great if it's a kid interacting with an elder--ex: let your son demonstrate youtube for his great, grandpa--you may want to preview the videos used for example)

Have a wonderful summer day. It's gorgeous and 81 here on the Outer Banks right now, and we're headed to the beach after lunch. Enjoy your family today.