The older I get, the more I learn. Isn’t it funny how life works out that way?  When I was a young mama in a home full of babies I missed out on teaching some valuable lessons to my kiddos just cause I hadn’t learned them yet! So now I am gonna pass on to you some good stuff I have learned along my bumpy way in hopes that you will glean something new to teach your kids while they are still under your roof and eating your food.
normal-teen-girl-ok-1

 

  1. Teach them that life is Bipolar, and it always will be.
    Some folks struggle with a mental health disorder that labels them bipolar. These people experience dramatic mood swings regularly. They are either very, very high or desperately low. Leveling out and riding a straight line doesn’t happen too often. Their brains are constantly interrupted with sharp turns and dramatic pauses. Let your kids know that bipolar isn’t a naughty word. Mental bipolar issues can be diagnosed and are treatable.  The famous David of the Bible, I have heard it taught, may have been bipolar. He certainly swung the gamut of emotions almost daily. We see evidence of that plastered all over the pages of the Bible and highlighted in the Psalms.  I, for one, question whether  David-the-Giant-Slayer was actually bipolar or if it was his life’s circumstances that were bipolar. There is a difference.  Teach your kids there is a difference.  Tell your babies they don’t have to be afraid of scary thoughts and tired emotions. Life will bring plenty of those their way. That does not make them bipolar. It makes them human. Let your kiddos know that life will always have tall pinnacles and deep recesses. Tell them that they will walk through deep, dark valleys more than once, and they will sing on mountain tops often.  Let your children know that LIFE IS BIPOLAR and it always will be. They will swing with the pendulum of life and feel the breeze in their hair as their time travels on. Your kids and mine will taste disappointment and rejection. They will feel the sad emotions of betrayal and the exhilarating feelings of victory and success. Life is gonna show up on their doorstep and hand them some very, very highs and some desperate lows.  They need to know this. And we are the ones to tell them. Jesus set us mamas a good example when He gave His disciples some insight and instruction and then added, “I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.” John 14:29. Let us follow our Kings example and not be afraid to let our children in on some secrets of life so when “these things happen” they will be found informed, aware and ready. Equipping our kids with this knowledge will bring them the power they need to look their bipolar life straight in the eye and say, “Bring it! I ain’t scared. Mama told me there would be days like this and I am prepared to go all the way through every emotion, feeling, sensation and experience this bipolar life is gonna toss my way! And what a grand bipolar life it shall be!”