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A Peace Place, Part II • Sep. 12, 2007
Our Peace Place binder is filled with all the things Ann suggests. In a moment of anger or when a child recognizes the need to collect themselves, the Peace Place provides some tools to help. And of course prayer. Heaps and heaps of prayer.
One of the other things we just haven't been able to get a handle on is the lack of verbal kindness between the children. For the most part, they get along well, but daily there are some very unkind words exchanged, impatience, annoyances, and the like. I needed something that would get their attention in the moment. Something poignant and drastic.
My husband came up with the idea of giving them ways to serve one another instead of verbally tearing each other down. So in the Peace Place we also have a jar filled with pieces of paper with service opportunities. If we observe unkind speech in a child, we immediately send them to the Peace Place to repent, pray, and then select a service opportunity from the jar. Service ops include:
Pick up their room for them.
Do their chores for them today if they aren’t done, tomorrow if they already are.
Do their evening chores for them.
Write them a note telling them the good things you are seeing in their life.
Help them with a project they choose.
Play something they want to play with them.
Fold their clothes for them. Pray for them as you fold each piece.
Shine their church shoes for them.
Give up your Friday computer time for them.
Make their bed for them.
Do their dinner job for them.
Some of the jobs are less "painful" than others, but we learn to love people more deeply when we have served them in a sacrificial way. And that's really the point. |
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GREAT Idea - Sep. 12, 2007
Edited by Neet on Sep. 12, 2007 at 9:13 AM