The Great Family

Your tone, your adjectives. How you talk about your family places value.

Early in our parenting, we learned about a very simple, yet highly effective way a father can set the positive tone for his family.

Instead of simply calling his family by last name, e.g., Our Smith Family, he says our GREAT Smith family. This is especially important for the father to emphasize since he is the head of the household. But of course, everyone else adopts the habit too. During nightly prayers it’s neat to hear the children say, “thank you, Lord, for our great Hodges family.” That great adjective offers a child security. The habit that establishes priority.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him. Colossians 3:17

About the same time I learned of this GREAT habit I came across another in a child’s book. Naming the rooms of the house in a celebratory fashion:

• Family FUN room rather than simply the family room
• Music room for the room of blessed piano practice
• Learning room (the ‘L’ room as Angie calls hers) for a school room or classroom

It’s all in how it rolls off your tongue.

So put a bit of flourish in your wording. Speak highly of your family and come up with some fun names for the rooms in your house. I’m thinking our kitchen should be renamed the Scrumpdillyicious room. How about tossing your laundry into the Scrubbing Bubbles room?

Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things. Philippians 4:8

More great words posted at littlesanctuary today. Click Gift of Words.