Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Valuable Lessons from a Can of Playdoh...

First, let me begin by saying that #1 I am still as white as a ghost, #2 I have NOT gained 5 lbs. from eating homemade fudge, so #3 one can conclude that the computer was successfully taken to the guy downtown and the camera issues have been solved!!! So, it is time for another post.

The other day, Kinlee was home sick (again!) (I don't know when this family is going to finally be well - ALL of us at the same time, that is!) I guess it's that time of year, though. Anyway, while she was home, we decided to get out the playdoh. It had been a while since she had gotten it all out, and I quickly remembered how therapeutic childhood activities like playdoh can be. As we were working on our creations, some valuable lessons began to pop into my mind. I would like to share them with you:

  1. We, much like playdoh, can easily be molded - for the good OR for the bad. I watched as Kinlee began to mold her playdoh into just about anything she wanted it to be - a snake, a ball, a worm.... How easily it was formed, messed up, and formed again, in a matter of minutes. The Bible tells us not to be "conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds." How are we being transformed or molded? Are we easily changed in our hearts and minds by the latest "fad" in religion, or do we stick to the Word and strive to live it everyday of our lives?
  2. The cookie cutters we used reminded me how easy it is to shape our lives and the lives of those around us. As parents, how are we shaping our lives, and thus the lives of our children? Mark and I have heard on so many occasions from so many different people how much our kids look and act like each of us. What are we doing for them? What examples are they seeing in OUR lives that they will immulate as they grow themselves, both physically and spiritually?
  3. Finally, some very good conversation can come while playing with playdoh. I don't think the playdoh itself necessarily had anything to do with it, but just the fact that we had slowed down enough to sit at the table, do something together, and "chat". I know for a fact that sometimes I get so busy with the day-to-day "stuff" that I fail miserably at the slow times. So, the next time you feel "disconnected" with your kiddos, pull out the playdoh and have some fun!

I hope that these have made you think - they definitely did that for me!!!

6 comments:

Jill said...

enjoyed this! I actually bought new play doh at Wal-Mart today in anticipation of Jack being out of school tomorrow.
I had commented on the last post, but I don't see it, so I'll make my comment again-- Mark, since you're in charge of the music, can you put something less depressing on?? LOL! :)

Wendi said...

Great post!! Great points..and you are so right on! Thank you for that:):)
Something that always sticks out to me..is if I am complaining about something or someone...that my kids pick up on that. Of course that is such a nice reminder to not be doing that:):)

Arika said...

I love play-dough, don't you? So simple but so enlightening, huh? Hope everyone at your house gets to feeling better very soon--and all at the same time! :)

Sandy said...

Thanks for that post Stephanie...you have some great points!! Hope everyone gets better soon at your house.

By the way the play-dough creations are AWESOME!! It makes me want to pull out the play-dough and start creating!!

Sasha said...

Wow... what great points for a lesson! And I'm amazed at how good the playdoh creations look!

Sasha said...

Wow... what great points for a lesson! And I'm amazed at how good the playdoh creations look!