Count the Coins - Chrissy Wiles Harrison

Please join me in welcoming Chrissy Wiles Harrison, the main contributor to our new Parent Talk page. Although we may occasionally feature other writers on this page, she will be our featured writer.  

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:7-9 NIV

While pregnant with my firstborn, I took a seasonal job at Toys R Us. I know—the perfect way to jump into motherhood, right? As you can imagine, it was chaos. Not the store—it actually had a nice layout and system in place—but the time of year. Hot new toys plus eager, overwhelmed parents plus Christmas-time busyness equals far less patience all around.

But I’ll never forget one customer and his son. A line formed behind them as they waited in line at my register. And I’m not talking about a normal line. This was a long, giving-me-evil-looks, ready-to-be-checked-out-and-move-on-with-their-lives line.

The man’s son counted out every single coin he had so he could buy his toy. My insides were dying. I was frantic about the entire process. How long would this kid take? Can’t his dad help him? Doesn’t he see this insane line behind them? Do my customers think it’s my fault? Are they going to be upset with me?

Maybe my face showed how I felt, or maybe the dad offered advice to my pregnant-cashier self, but he looked up at me and said something I’ll never forget: “You never miss an opportunity to teach them.”

Suddenly, my mind quieted. What a profound lesson this dad had just taught me and one the Lord reminds me of frequently.

According to an observation floating around the internet, seventy-five percent of all the time a parent will spend with a child is complete by the time they reach twelve. And by the time they turn eighteen, well, ninety percent of parent-child time is already spent (timesfreepress.com).

How much time have I already missed teaching my children—I am often far too busy or worried about other things that I forget the little time we have left. They need to know so many things. Sometimes, I forget I’m the one who must teach all of it to them: respect, manners, and life skills (soooo many life skills). Also that it’s okay to make mistakes and that they are loved.

Most importantly, to teach them about their Savior and how to have a relationship with him. But to lead them to this place, I must stop being so busy or worried about others and let them count the coins.

God told the Israelites to teach their children. Think of some ways you can teach yours to count the coins.

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Chrissy Wiles Harrison is a homeschooling mom who shares her home with four rambunctious boys, one husband, and a small pooch—and loves
every minute of it. 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Watch the Snacks - Chrissy Wiles Harrison

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

I generally try to make the best decisions with the food in our house. But let’s be transparent. That doesn’t always happen.

For instance, my toddler was once a really good eater—fruit, yogurt, granola/fruit bars, meat, vegetables, etc. Recently, however, he’s discovered junk food. We will blame this on a mixture of holidays and grandparents. He wants junk for breakfast, junk for lunch, and junk for dinner. You name it. Gummies. Marshmallows. Jellybeans. Goldfish. Fruit roll-ups.

His addiction has become a daily battle—one that overflows to the older two kids. And, honestly, even to the two parents in the house, too, because, hey, when it’s right there in front of us looking so tasty, it’s what we choose. Every. Single. Time. We mumble, “One piece won’t be a big deal. Sure, you can have that. Just this one time.” Thennnn, it becomes more than once. And the battle is brutal. Have you ever fought a toddler? They are such sweet villains.

But moving on . . .

Junk food is just one example of how these sweet little people in my house like to test the limits we’ve set for them. Another is screen time—what they are allowed to watch. And their words. And the people we let them be around.

We compromise. And it has made me think about how this resembles sin. When we allow sin to hang out in front of us, we make it easier to make the wrong choice—to compromise. When we keep junk food visible, it is much easier to choose it than the healthy stuff.

Our job as parents is to protect and teach our kids while they are under our roof. To create boundaries and teach them boundaries for themselves. To help them know the difference between what is good for them and what is too much.

We must watch their eyes—our eyes. We must watch the stuff we put in front of us—food, entertainment, relationships. The list is endless. We must constantly be on guard—to show them the way, to watch the snacks.

Make a plan to watch those snacks for yourself—and for the ones you love.

If you enjoyed this devotion, please share it with your friends.

Chrissy Wiles Harrison is a homeschooling mom who shares her home with four rambunctious boys, one husband, and a small pooch—and loves every minute of it.  

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.