Isa 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Of all the things I learned in bible college, (both biblical and otherwise haha) this one lesson we had one morning in Old Testament  class.........this one verse of scripture sticks out to me. I will never forget that class that ended with everyone sobbing and worshipping as the power of God came down on us, sitting at our desks.

Think about this.

The Pacific ocean covers 6,378,000 square miles.  It contains 4 spots over 6 miles deep. It covers almost 1/2 the globe.  70% of the earth's surface is covered in water. 

Who has measured the water in the hollow of His hand????

Think about this.

The milky way is approximately 100 000 light years across.  A light year is the distance travelled by light in a year at a speed of 186282 miles per second.  We cannot even comprehend the size of the milky way. 

Who has meted out the heavens with a span?  A span is from thumb outstretched to baby finger.

Think about this.

30% of the earth's surface is land.  Yet he comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure. In a measure! A measure is between two fingers and a thumb.

Mt. Ararat is 18 000 ft high.  Mt. Everest is 29 028 ft. high.  1/5 of the earths surface is mountainous. Yet he weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance! God perfectly balanced the world.

Are you visualizing it yet? Do you SEE how big our God is? Are you getting a picture in your mind? He is AWESOME.  And this same God who is so big and so powerful has made himself available and merciful, and personal to each of us individually!  This same God who could say........"Let there be light..." could forgive sins.  My sins. Your sins.  How can I not worship a God like that?

How does one get more humble?

I know this may seem like a really dumb question, but this is one my heart has been pondering all week.  God has been working on my heart in this area.  Amazing that my pastor then taught about this last night, and tied it all together neatly for me.

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Well why don't we just paint the gables green and call me Marilla?  After the great effort my husband put into letting us have the truck so we could go to church (he rode his bike to work) we almost didn't get to go! After picking up a prescription for Ruby's eczema, I asked Topaz to get the dogs inside, and to put the wagon (which we'd used earlier with daycare kids) into the garage.  Within minutes she came running in the house, completely in the depths of despair. "Oh no. I've done a terrible thing. What are we going to do? I'm so completely stupid. I locked all your keys in the garage" Anne Shirley you are the most exasperating girl! For some reason I was not panicked at all. I remained completely calm.  "Well at least you didn't dye your hair green!"  I said.  I immediately picked up the phone, called my husband (who had the second set of garage keys with him) and asked if there was another set of keys around the house?  There wasn't.  I couldn't go pick him up because ALL my keys were locked in the garage. I couldn't go to church because my keys were locked inside the garage.  Get the picture? We were stuck.  In Topaz's mind this was a tragedy the size of a tsunami.   My husband said he'd be home in 5 minutes using the company truck.  He's the boss man at night so he can do that.  I got off the phone and out loud I laughed trying to lighten the situation for my guilt stricken daughter and said, "Anne Shirley you are the most exasperating girl!" (Topaz, like Anne of Green Gables is notorious for getting herself into scrapes, and reading when she ought to be doing chores. LOL)   I said, don't worry dear, Anne was constantly getting into scrapes and she turned out fine. Topaz wailed, "No she didn't!!! She married GILBERT!!!!!!!!!!!" ROFL And Ruby said, "Mom how can you LAUGH at a time like this when all your keys are locked in the garage?!" Because I have a connection with one who has the key to the situation! Yes my keys were locked in the garage, and by myself I could not fix the problem, but my answer was on the way, so I could laugh in the midst of that situation. I could remain calm.  Even before I called, I KNEW my husband would fix this for us. Sometimes, like my girls, we can be so frantic in our trials, we just don't see a way out.  We are in despair over the mess we've made of things.   But we need to get our eyes off the problem and onto the Problem Solver! Call Him up. He'll be there on the double with the key to your problem. Oh yes He will!! If my husband, a very busy shop foreman, could drop everything and run to fix our problem, how much MORE will our GOD drop everything and run to us when we call! Thank you Mr. Diamond for showing me Jesus in you. By the way, we were only 10 minutes late for church.

I find so many teachable moments in daily every day living.  If we just keep our ears and eyes open there are so many opportunities to not only teach our children, but also for ourselves to learn....

For father's day we went out to eat, and as we went right after church we were still quite dressed up.  Our girls in particular were in their fanciest dresses that they currently own and their hair was done up in pretty little "up-do's".  As we made our way through the restaurant, Brianna walked in front of me and I noticed that heads were turning to admire my daughter.  Old ladies smiled and I could hear ooohs and awwws which made me catch their eyes knowingly and smile too.

When we sat down I told Brianna, that she was turning heads all over the restaurant and she was embarrassed.  I told her not to be embarrassed but to keep her chin up and smile!  She said, "But mom, people will think I'm stuck up if I keep my chin up!"

And in that instant I had this light bulb moment.  I have thought like Brianna all my life.  "Be invisible. Don't make eye contact.  Don't be too pretty.  Don't act like you're somebody..... people will think you're stuck up.  Somebody might get jealous"

But when Brianna said that to me, the light clicked on.  "Nobody will think you're a snob if you look them in the eye and smile your sweet smile!" 

It's not about our clothes, hair or posture.  Though there is nothing wrong with dressing nicely (and modestly) and it is quite advisable to pay attention to personal grooming, that is not what makes us anything.  It's about our attitude and spirits.  So stand up straight.  Keep your chin up.  And smile!  We are heirs of the Father.   And that's what makes us royal.  Know that you are His child and that He dwells within you.  Don't be afraid to let Jesus shine through you! And as you radiate His peace and love and grace, you will exude confidence, and as you lift your chin and look into people's eyes and smile, you may just liberate others to do the same!

1Pe 3:3-4 Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing-- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

When you get what you want as you struggle for self
And the world makes you queen for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what THAT woman has to say.
For it isn't your father or mother or husband
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The person whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass

She's the person to please, never mind all the rest,
For she's with you clear up to the end.
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the woman in the glass is your friend
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life,
And get pats on your back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the woman in the glass.
by Archibald Hart

For so many years I have based my identity and my self image on what other people think of me.  I have craved words of affirmation in nearly everything I do.  It's not that I seek praise. I  simply want to know........ Did I do a good job? Am I good enough?  Every sunday that I lead worship, I ask my husband........"did I do a good job? did I do ok?"   When I bake something, I want to know..."Is it good? Did you enjoy it?"  but the underlying question is "Am I a good wife/mother/friend? Am I pleasing you?"

But no matter how many times somebody tells me I'm doing a good job, it is never enough to quench that question of my heart.  Am I good enough?  Sure, words of affirmation from other people make me happy for a little while, but I am so very harsh and critical of myself that I really struggle to believe them deep down.  Nobody has said or thought such cruel words about me as I have about myself.  I look in the mirror and tell that girl she's ugly and she's fat.  I look around my house and see mess, and I tell that girl she's a lazy slob.  I lose my patience, or my temper and I tell that girl in the mirror that she's out of control, she's crazy, and she's a horrible person and corrupt in the very core of her soul.  I am constantly reminding myself that I do not measure up.

The devil is the biggest identity thief there ever was.  He wants to rob us of knowing who we are in Christ!!! Yes we are sinners, and yes the heart is deceitfully wicked as the Bible says, and in ourselves we are nothing, but when we get ahold of WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, we have a solid foundation to build our identity.
If I base my identity on what others think of me, I am giving them far too much power over me.  For one thing, are their perceptions even accurate?  If I base my identity on unrealistic standards I have set for myself, or based on my appearance, or based on things I possess, or how much money I have, or how much education I have.... I am going to constantly ride a roller coaster for those are shaky foundations to base your identity.

To build a healthy self esteem, first we need to belong and know that we are wanted, accepted, cared for and enjoyed for who we are.  God created us to fellowship with Him. He enjoys being with us. He cares about us. When we are born again, we are adopted in His family and we belong to Him!

Second we need to feel worthy.  We must be able to say, "I'm good. I'm all right. I count"  We often only feel worthy when we do something good, or measure up to some standard, but in God's eyes, we don't need to keep striving to be worthy.  None of us are truly "worthy" of what Jesus has done for us, but He has deemed us worthy! He loves us even while we are sinners.  He sees not what we are, but what we can be.  We are a work in progress.  We don't have to be perfect to be worthy of His love.  2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

Thirdly, we need to feel competent.... we need to know that we can do something and cope with life successfully. God declares that we are competent.  Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

It's time to renew my mind and start believing what God believes about me.  I am tired of letting the devil rob me of my identity!  I am tired of believing his lies.  I am loved.  Though not perfect, through Jesus, I am a good person.  I don't have to earn God's love. He loves me already.  He loved me as a freckle faced little kid.  He loves me when I am angry and rebellious and He loves me when I am walking a straight path.  He is FOR me! He is not waiting and watching for me to fall so He can punish me. He wants me to succeed. Through His strength I can do anything He calls me to do.  I am His child. I am an heir of Christ.  My identity is in Him. 

*This devotion was written by me, but greatly inspired by Chapter 10 of "Always Daddy's Girl" by H. Norman Wright

Have you ever wondered why it is we can receive the Word of God week after week, yet we are not experiencing more victory in our lives?

Author, Beth Moore tells of when seeds are taken to the starving in Africa, often the need is so immediate that they eat the seeds rather than plant them and await the harvest. Many times the Word of God meets our immediate need of hope and encouragement but we still act un-lovely and struggle with the same issues over and over again because we do not DO it!

We KNOW that God has forgiven us, yet we struggle with shame and guilt because we DO NOT let go!

We KNOW that the Bible tells us to go talk to those who have offended us, yet we let bitterness and resentment grow inside us and even division in the body of Christ because we DO NOT go and work it out.

We KNOW we need to forgive those who have hurt us yet we struggle with bitterness and unresolved anger because we DO NOT let go.

We KNOW that we need to think on things that are true and lovely, yet we battle thoughts because we DO NOT put negative thoughts out of our head and replace them with positive ones.

We KNOW we ought not to feed our bodies with junk yet we struggle with weight and health because we DO NOT make a change.

We KNOW we ought to spend time disciplining and training our children yet we cry when they rebel because we DO NOT do what we ought.

We KNOW we are to resist the devil and yet we constantly deal with the ramifications of our sins because we DO NOT want to stay away from the world.

We are so stupid sometimes.  No wonder the Bible refers to us as sheep. We hear the Word.  We read the Word. We KNOW the Word. Yet we struggle with so many things because we do not DO it.  If we will begin to execute the Word of God in our lives there WILL be results!

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 

Jam 1:22-25

Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

There have been entire books written about parenting by far more educated and better writers than I, yet I want to write about one of my great fears in parenting my children, and that is the fear of losing my children's hearts.

I have very high expectations of my children, and when I say something, I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I am quite creative when it comes to discipline tactics.  I strongly believe in discipline, and I believe that true discipline is lacking in many homes in this generation.

I believe there are some measures we can take as parents to ensure that we do not lose our children's hearts.  There is a time and place when it is appropriate to let our children know that we are angry with them but it is never ok to hit or spank a child when you are angry.  Getting even with your child is not mature parenting, nor is that even discipline. Getting even with your child is simply childish behavior on the part of the parent!

Discipline is not merely punishment. I think a lot of people get mixed up right there. 

Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Discipline is training, teaching a child in the way he ought to go.  Discipline takes a lot of work, a lot of talking, a lot of diligence, and consistency, and yes, usually with appropriate consequences.  Many parents are simply too lazy to be bothered so they figure if they yell and spank they've "disciplined".  Spanking may improve a child's behavior and for that reason many parents think it's worked!  But if it hasn't touched and changed their hearts...if they don't understand why we must not do such and such, but are simply following the rules to avoid punishment, they are not going to have it in their heart when they grow up.  This is why we must train them so that God's principles are deeply engrained in their hearts. 

There is definitely a time and place to teach your children to obey instantly, "because I said so."   If your toddler is running to the street, he needs to be obedient when he hears his parent holler "STOP!"  There is no time for explanations. Instant obedience is for his own safety.  But there is nothing wrong with explaining to your child later, the reason why they must always obey instantly.  Mommy and Daddy love them very much and only want to protect them.  If we constantly make rules and say no to our children with no other explanation than "because I said so"  they will grow to resent us.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  1 The 5:18

"...Because a thankful heart is a happy heart. I'm glad for what I have. It's an easy way to start. For the love that He shares and He listens to my prayers. That's why I say thanks everyday!!!"  (Veggietales)

So often I catch myself struggling with feelings of discontent which lead to wanting, longing and can even lead to coveting.   I want a bigger house. I want a brand new updated kitchen. I want a fifth wheel camper instead of the one we have.  I want a nissan quest with a dvd player.  I want I want I want...........  It gets tiresome after awhile.  For truly, no matter what we have, or how much we have, there will always be something bigger and better and newer and nicer. 

When will we ever learn to be content with what I have? We live in a very materialistic society.  People are constantly trying to keep up with somebody else.  If an outfit is "so last year!"  they completely discard it, in spite of the fact that it is in perfect condition! People in North America consume and throw away sooo much! I realize that compared to 80% of the world's population I am RICH.  I have food in my belly, shoes on my feet, a roof over my head, and a car to drive.  I am truly blessed!!  Instead of crying about how much I lack I need to start focusing on how much I HAVE!

The way to be content is to cultivate a THANKFUL heart.

Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have instead of continually longing for something more.

My children are like my second chance at life.  I don't mean that I am one of those parents who live their dreams through their children, (except for the piano lessons...haha)  but through them I get a second chance at being a kid.  I get to snuggle soft little bodies next to me, and read "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch.  I get to giggle at jokes that make no sense but we laugh because the other one is laughing and we just laugh and laugh.  I get to blow bubbles and draw pictures with sidewalk chalk.  I get to play memory game and go fish.  I even get to play dolls if I want to.  I can go to the park and swing on the swings and nobody looks at me weird because I'm there with my kids.  I can watch my children's minds grow and develop into the most caring and wise human beings.  As I watch their relationship with their daddy and see the love of God for His children as it is meant to be...... there is something within me restored constantly, through my children.  I feel my own love for them as their mother and I know that it is from God. I love my kids so much it physically HURTS sometimes. I would not lay down my life for just anybody, but I would for them.  I would rather fall and scrape my knee than have them scrape theirs.  I am FAR from a perfect mother.  So if I love my kids as much and deeply as I do, how much more does our God love us.  How much more does He want to restore in us, that which is broken, that which has been eaten and destroyed. God has restored much to me already through my children.

One thing I want to instill in my children that I never had, is self esteem.  I picked up this cute little book the other day at the preschool and flipped through it.  Here are some of my favorite easy things to do to raise your child's self esteem...

excerpts from the book "Raise Your Child's Self esteem - 99 easy things to do" by Nancy Krulik

• Tell your child that you love him at least once a day
• Try to take your child's feelings seriously. Don't say "she'll grow out of it" or "it's not so bad"
• Let your child know it's ok to make mistakes. Admit your own
• Laugh at your child's jokes - even when you don't get them
• Praise your child's efforts without worrying about the results
• Teach your child that "can't" is not forever. With a little hard work your child will learn a new skill and turn "can't" into "I can"
• Pay attention to your child's random acts of kindness and thank him for it
• Don't let your child go to bed angry with you - or thinking that you are angry at him
• Always say good-bye before you leave. Sneaking away will make your child mistrust you
• Let your child cry if he needs to. There's no need for him to always take things like a grown up. Remember he's only a kid
• Start an "I can" can.  Decorate with stickers and whatnot. Every time your child accomplishes something new, write it down and put it in the can.  Every once in awhile check the contents of the can so your child can see how much they've learned
• Carry your child's photo in your wallet
• Let your child push the button in the elevator
• Take a day off to go on your child's field trip
• Listen to one of their favorite CD's.
• Let your child record the message on the family answering machine
• Play school together and let your child be the teacher
• Get your child his own magazine subscription
• Set aside a special talking time each day when you can discuss the day's events. Keep this time sacred - no tv shows or telephone calls can interrupt
• Instead of asking your child how school was, try asking him three great things he did that day
• Teach your child the lullabies you sang to him when he was a baby

And here's one from me.......... When you hug your child, don't let go until they do. :)

Mat 7:9-11 Or what man is there of you, if his son asks a loaf, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a snake?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?

Often the relationship we share with our father has a huge impact on our relationship with our heavenly Father.  If your father was distant you may perceive God as being far off in the sky somewhere.  If your father was harsh and critical you may perceive God as always watching for you to make a mistake.  If your father was loving and giving it is easier to see God as loving and giving.  Yet no matter how good our earthly father may have been he was not perfect.  

Yesterday I witnessed a little girl falling and getting hurt.  As her father immediately dropped everything he was doing and RAN to his little one, I watched his face.  I saw concern, but the absolute LOVE on his face nearly moved me to tears.  I will never forget the look on his face.  At that moment in time, I had no doubt that this earthly father loved his child deeply and would do anything in the world for her, to make her happy and to take away her pain.

Perhaps you did not have a loving father.  Maybe he hurt you deep inside your soul.  Perhaps he never told you he loved you.  Perhaps his hands were cruel instead of loving.  Perhaps you have never known the love of your daddy.  Maybe he was just never around.

Our Father God is not like your imperfect earthly father.  He will heal you deep inside your soul.  He loves you.  His touch is kind and loving.  When He touches you, you will never be the same.  He is not harsh and critical of you! He sees you through the blood! He sees beyond the mess you've made.  He sees the potential in you.  He loves you unconditionally. He longs to be close to your heart.   You are special to Him. You are the apple of His eye!

If the father of the hurt child can love his child so deeply, how much more does our heavenly Father love us!  When we fall He will drop everything and come running to pick us up and brush us off and kiss our hurts and dry our tears.

Maybe you can't run to your earthly father, but you can run now to Jesus. His arms are open wide.

Abba Father, How I love You.  How I long to sit on Your lap and let You hold me and dry my tears. I am so blessed to be Your child.  Thank you for loving me, and showing me Your daddy love. Amen.

My middle daughter is coaching my son with his reading. See the sword in his hand? He can hardly wait to go play. LOL

My eldest is practising and wondering why on earth I'm sneaking around the corner with the camera. hehe

Here are my beautiful babies on Easter Sunday morning

It seems to me that the absolute worst in people comes out when they are driving.  People who are normally meek and mild tempered can turn into ferocious beasts when they get behind the wheel of a car.

Somebody is in your way. You call them every name in the book. We call them stupid, idiots, morons and  declare that they have no business being on the road. "Use it or lose it", we holler to the air, right in front of our children.  "Come ON!!!"  as we gesture wildly.  If looks could kill....We pound on the steering wheel, and worse, the horn.  I've even seen some people get out of their vehicles and resort to fisticuffs.  This has become so common we have even coined the term 'road rage'

We think it doesn't matter because we'll never see these people again.  We feel safe and anonymous behind our sunglasses and tinted windows. 

But today when I witnessed a bit of road rage, I asked myself the question,  Are we not still Christians even when we're driving?

This question has haunted me, for I was once guilty of what I call "shopping cart rage".  Stepping into Superstore is sure to make my red hair flame.  People are always in my way, and it just gets my goat.  One day as I fumed my way down aisle 8, with my grumpy face intact, ready to ram my cart into the next happy people who were having a family reunion in the middle of the aisle, when the Lord spoke to me and said, "wouldn't you be embarrassed if these people came to church on sunday and saw the grumpy lady from superstore leading worship?"

Wow. Would I ever. 

So I ask myself these questions: What kind of message are you sending? Are you just a Christian at church, or are you a christian when you drive? When you shop? When things get in your way? Do you think Jesus would even want those people to know that you are a Christian by the way you're acting?

Something to think about.

Yes I still get impatient but I try to keep those thoughts in mind..... Last time I went grocery shopping I purposely smiled sweetly at everyone I passed.  People looked at me a little strange, but it was actually a much more peaceful and enjoyable experience, and instead of worrying 'what if they know I'm a Christian?", I hoped they could tell by my actions that I was indeed, a Christian!

The past month or so I've really been focusing on disciplining myself specifically in two areas. One is daily bible reading. The other is exercise, which I've been doing every other day...but am thinking i need to bump that up even more.  As mom becomes more disciplined in these areas, she's also noticing some things in her kids that needed work.  One was lippy mouths, that sometimes I let slide because it's always done in 'fun', especially by my funny son!......but I'm thinking it's really not that funny anymore.  The other thing was the whiny/argumentative response to mom asking them to do any chores/homework/practising piano etc....  NOT acceptable.  So we've dished out some rude medicine this past weekend and all their mouths have been healed. Hallelujah.

The other thing I'm getting tough on, is the amount of time sitting on a couch watching some form of entertainment on a screen.  Today I doled out tickets (you can buy a huge roll of them at the dollar store).... 10 tickets, per week, each valued at 30 minutes of brain sucking entertainment. (video or xbox) No one is allowed to sit in front of the screen without a valid ticket.... (these are to be used mon-fri.........weekends are usually super busy anyways with church activities, and music lessons, and that is when we may watch family entertainment if we have time.) 

Frankly I don't think I'm even being strict. I'm being MORE than reasonable. My kids don't think so, but I think an hour of brain sucking activity a day is way more than enough.  This will force them to choose carefully how they want to spend their tickets.  Of course they cannot spend a ticket until all homework, reading, tutoring (Garnet) and piano practise is done. 

Next on my list....... making a list of daily chores for the kids.

The early learning support teacher called me this morning about my son. He's in grade 1 and not quite up to par with his reading and she wanted to know if I was ok with him joining her for extra help in that area. (duh?)   Of course I don't mind.  But if it were up to me I say just give him chocolate chips. That's what works for him.  When he was four, I tried to teach him his letters and he was NOT interested AT ALL.... 'just let me go play!' was his attitude.  So I came up with the chocolate chip plan.  Every letter he got right he got a chocolate chip.  It worked like a charm. I say the school should implement my program.  In fact I think they should pay me for it. bwahaha. It's pure genius. Every word right earns a chocolate chip. He'd be reading in no time.  He sure does like his food. hehe.  And so we are homeschooling him after school to help him catch up.

My eldest daughter was reading chapter books in kindergarten.  My middle daughter was right behind her, but my son is just not interested. He's great in math though.  I'm really not at all worried about it. I can see in the last couple weeks it is starting to click. Once it really clicks, he'll be fine.  If not.......well, you should see the big bag of chocolate chips in my cupboard.  (I buy the biggest bag available cuz I bake so much. lol)

Has anyone noticed boys being different than girls in the area of learning to read.....as well as INTEREST in reading?

Should you trust your children?

I was chatting on the phone with someone today and they told me they would never trust their kids, that noone should ever trust their kids (to tell the truth), that all kids are going to make mistakes and they will all lie.

I disagree.  Yes all kids will make mistakes. (Duh! Like WE don't???) and yes probably all kids will tell a lie at some point in their child hood.  That's normal.  You correct it and you go on.  It's called learning. Does that mean you should NEVER trust your kids?  I don't think so.  I completely trust my kids.  I am not a naive mother who thinks her kids can do no wrong, but I have trained them diligently from day one, that if they lie to me, the consequences will be much harsher than if they tell the truth in the first place.  The thing is you CORRECT IT!

I completely trust my children to tell me the truth, and the odd time I am not sure if they fudging the truth, I will say to them, "You better be telling me the truth, for if I find out you're not, you are dog meat.  And I WILL find out.  I will ALWAYS find out....." 

That always makes them cave.  If they were lying, at this point, they will tell me the truth.....If at this point, they are still sticking to their story I would bet my my cadbury creme egg that's hidden in my dresser drawer that they're not lying, especially my eldest. She's as honest as the day is long. 

And my middle....she might lie in the fear of the moment but she will always confess later.  But we've dealt with that and she is now aware that it is best to tell the truth in the first place. 

All of my kids have a healthy conscience. And I trust that. does that mean I believe they will never lie to me in their life? Well, no.... they might. They're human. They are capable of lying. But I can't live in constant suspicion of them!

Am I a naive mother? I don't think so. I'm not blind to my kids faults. I don't close my eyes to what goes on around me. I am conscious of their moods, actions, whereabouts etc....but  My goodness, if your own parents don't believe in you who will? And how will THEY believe in themselves?  I trust them until they give me reason not to trust them.  We haven't quite hit the teen years so maybe I'll change my mind then. I hope not. I want to be able to believe in and trust my kids.  I think that if you are constantly suspicious and never trusting your kids they are defeated before they've begun and they just give up and don't care.  My kids know I trust them and I have taught them that trust is a treasure, that they better not break it for it is nearly impossible to fix, once broken.  And it is very important to them to keep my trust.

Am I delusional? Do you think parents should NEVER EVER trust their kids?