We are really on a roll here with this process of climbing up and out of our own downward spiral of our own making when we make deicisions which do not serve us or our families.
Once we begin to take one small step at a time upwards, life begins to change and look brighter and we feel more energized!
It rubs off on our families and our relationships!
We are still at home with the kids going through their closets, drawers and stuff and we are finished with part one of this process!
I know you are tired and you’d rather be doing something else, this is very important to who you are as a Mom or Dad and it is part of your job to equip your children with life skills that will help them in their adulthood. Keep the enthusiasm UP and the energy UP too!
Congratulate your children for their efforts and good decision making skills!
This is huge for their little egos (even a teen’s ego!).
Next go to the hallway…..have those clothes in three piles…..trash …. (have a child in charge of bagging and taking those to the trash can)…..next are the pieces which can be donated and used still…(have a child do this and help them get the bag to the car)….and third….those items which are newer and can be passed down…make a decision and back those and label who gets them and make a phone call or box them up for mailing and get them in the car or arrange for pickup.
Here’s the second most important teaching piece: Have lunch or dinner and then have all the kids bring their lists of needed clothing items. In your own mind you should have a budget on how much you are able to spend on each child to fill the list. Each item will need to be prioritized in this way: Need It, Nice to Have but not vital, Not needed but would like a new outfit . If you child is old enough then let the child do the “discernment” on their own. These are HUGE teaching moments.
Now what do you do next?
You could immediately run to to the mall or outlet store, or big warehouse bargain store and shop, shop, shop……
OR
What could you do to hammer home the lesson and hit it out of the ball park?
OR
You could gather up your children and go and donate those items of clothing and let them put each bag into the donation bin or deliver the clothing to a neighbor, relative or church.
What will you decide to do now?
Next time: Rewriting the list, decisions and shopping.
