Serving Your Kids in Love ❤️

Last Updated on March 21, 2023 by Andrea

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I’ve talked about showing our kids we love them before. Today I want to talk about how we can serve in love. Serving our kids does not make us their maid. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve told my kids, “I’m not your maid” a time or two.

Serving Our Kids

Yet it’s possible to serve others without being their maid.

One way we show others we love them is by serving them.

Jesus came to serve, not be served. If HE can serve, so can we.

What does this look like with our kids? We certainly don’t want them to think our sole job is to wait on them hand and foot.

We can:

• ask our kids if they need help. Don’t assume they do. Often they will respond better if we ask. If they say they don’t need our help, then just let them know you are available for them.
• do something for them that you would normally expect them to do on their own. This one works best if your child is in a stressful or busy moment. Just take care of it for them. But don’t play the martyr about it. Simply do the task. If they ask about it later, it’s okay to tell them you saw they were stressed/overloaded/busy and wanted to help.
• avoid aggravating our children. No one likes being provoked. While expectations and consequences are appropriate parenting strategies, aggravating our children is never called for. See Colossians 3:21.
• be courteous. Taking your dishes to the kitchen after dinner? Grab your husband’s and kids too. It’s all one trip. I started doing this years ago and my kids now take ours to the kitchen if they are going that way first. And I never asked them to do it. Modeling the behavior we would like to see goes a long way. We can also be grateful as our act of being courteous. Be sure to thank your kids when THEY do something helpful.

This is just a quick list. Be creative and look for ways to serve your kids at home this week. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about our spouses!

Resources

I love Wiersbe Bible Studies and this one is great for learning about being a servant from the Servant, Jesus.

I also really enjoy the BE Bible Studies series. This one, Be Diligent, about Mark is great for learning about having a servant heart.

Hospitality is one way we can be a servant, even in our own home. This book, written by home economists, is a great look at hospitality.

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Peace,

🌸 Andrea