Be Their Person

 "It doesn't matter how much you love your kids. What matters is communicating that love in a way that they can understand and feel that love."

While I know most of you are focused on the upcoming election, here at the Tkill Academy, today is Game 7 of the World Series. It's one night after another of "Please can I stay up - this is the LAST night?"

I will confess. I never watched a baseball game in it's entirety until the Xman was 4 years old. We took him to his first Braves game. I expected we'd stay a few innings. Eat some good ballpark treats. Head home before the crowds.

Rule #1 of baseball with Xman. You don't leave until the entire game is over. Even if it goes into 3 innings of over time. Rule #2 You don't get up to get a hot dog. You don't move. Rule #3 You only talk about the baseball game.

I wasn't a baseball person. I'm a baseball person now because Xman is a baseball person.

And more than anything else in the world, I'm an Xman person.

The thing is we make changes for the people we love. We show interest in the things they are interested in because we love them. Not because we love baseball, or whatever the newest craze is. But because we love them.

And we show our kids they are worthy of great love by paying attention to the details of their life.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

Xman has played baseball 2 seasons a year since he was 4 (he's 12 now!). I can't tell you the number of baseball games I have cheered for his team during, the number of baseball games one of us has taken him to, or the ones I have watched on my TV. Baseball camps, hitting lessons, extra practices.

I'm not investing in my knowledge of baseball (though I'm definitely learning a few things), I'm investing in my Xman.

Mama Warriors, He calls us to love our people well. To become Xman persons. Or Princess persons. Or Peanut persons. I'm to be their encourager, their biggest fan. It means keeping up with instagram crazes, or the newest Memes for her favorite fandom. It means actually watching the Dora episode so I can say "Man -that Swiper was sneaky!"

It means being intentional with them. Really paying attention. Each week, I've been writing a little note for my big kids and leaving them a treat. Sometimes a good sale find at the Kroger, sometimes something they've mentioned they like, sometimes something that reminds me of them.

Intentional. Sending the message that I'm a "Xman person." I'm a "Princess person." (Published Nov 2016)