Y is for Yesterday and Yesteryear

Yesterday's Break

Yesterday, Alyssa and I took a break from school, writing reviews, planning, packing, organizing, anything else that was on our to do list so that we could visit our awesome friends for the day.  We both needed a little break so we went to the Jumpy Place for almost 6 hours.  The girls played so hard and they had a ton of fun! Alyssa needed this socialization time. We ran into some bullying issues the last hour of play.  There were three children (2 younger boys and an older girl), probably between the ages of 6-10, who harassed our girls.  They followed them everywhere intimidating them with dirty looks and words.  I spoke with our girls about bullies and how to react to children that bully.  We also gently spoke to the other children on several occasions in hopes to put an end to the bullying. If anything, the children disrespected our wishes and the problem got worse. The mothers sat disengaged from reality in their little world chatting without a watchful eye or concern with what their children were doing or how they were behaving.  The daughter ran to get a drink and spoke with her mother.  The mother glanced over every once in while laughing at what the children were doing.  I was appalled.  It actually reached a ridiculous point and I almost had to speak up. One child stood at the top of the slide stairs with his arms and legs spread apart so that my daughter could NOT pass by. I happen to be standing by and said, "Let her pass."  I can only imagine what Alyssa felt at that moment.  The girls were already terrified and tried to ignore the behavior of the other children.  They kept walking away from the situation but the children were persistent in their attacks and followed them. We ended up leaving the location and I mentioned the children's behavior to the worker on the way out the door. She kept an eye out and told me she wished I had told her earlier. I did notice that she needed to talk to them and address their behaviors (unrelated to our situation) before we left the building. I immediately turned to our Child Training Bible when we arrived at the house.  I searched the key for helpful verses.  We read and discussed what happened at the Jumpy Place. The topic we discussed was FEAR. Alyssa also asked to watch her VeggieTales movie today titled, "Where's God When I'm S-Scared?"

"Be strong and courageous; don't be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Yesteryear Lessons
Character training is of great importance to me when it comes to child training and instruction. I have been on a mission ... a search began not too long ago ... a search for items that will help me teach Alyssa Christ-honoring character traits and habits.  I want to instill good character traits so that she will grow to be a God abiding citizen with a heart of gold.

The Bible says,

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

I believe this Scripture verse with all my heart. It is our responsibility as parents to raise children that respect God and others through training.  Parents need to teach children how to act ethically and morally. 

I recently posted my review on the Child Training Bible and how we use it to teach Godly character habits or traits and how we hide His Word in our hearts and minds. Another resource that we came across was an endearing book titled, Moral Lessons of Yesteryear, written by A.L. Byers.  It is published by Mantle Ministries. This book would be suitable for children in pre-k through 6th grade. This is a Christ-centered book full of character building life lessons that will be cherished in our family. The hardcover book containing 168 pages is beautifully illustrated in a victorian-style containing black-and-white pictures or images. The book consists of life lessons that teach desirable and valuable principles such as obedience, respect, helpfulness, kindness, honesty, gratefulness and many other character building traits. The well-illustrated character building lessons are revealed through the use of poetry, quotes, short stories, and rules or guidelines. We are reading aloud sections during family devotion time (at times may just be Alyssa and I due to Jeff's schedule).  My hope is that Alyssa will have the tools to make the "right" choices in applying skills and actions read in the lessons to everyday life occurrences - that she will continue to develop good character that honors God.

Here are a few of the stories and poems you will read throughout this book:

A short excerpt from a poem found in the book:

What To Mind

Mind your tongue! Don't let it speak

An angry, an unkind,

A cruel, or wicked word;

Don't let it boys - now, mind!

- Moral Lessons of Yesteryear A.L. Byers (page 99)

I can tell you now that I had to try hard to mind my tongue at the Jumpy Place ... just being honest with you all.  I won't share what I wanted to say to the parents or the child because I am trying to be a good Christian. I am just glad that I prayed and God intervened - helping me to control inexcusable words or reactions. No parent in their right mind likes to see or hear their child being bullied.  The poem implies that the statement applies to only boys but it also applies to girls and adults alike.  This is one of those things that I explain to Alyssa as we discuss the contents of the book

This precious book containing timeless stories and poems is a great resource to teach character lessons and to encourage terrific discussions during Bible study time or family devotions. Moral Lessons of Yesteryear may be a perfect fit for your family needs depending on what type of resource you enjoy using. I seemed to be drawn to Biblically-based old fashioned books.  

Disclaimer: This post is not a book review. I thought the book was special enough to mention on my blog for character training purposes since we are enjoying it. I purchased it on Ebay for less than a dollar and it looks brand new.  It was a little gem that I just happen to find one day while purchasing curriculum. Thank you Lord for blessing our family yet again this year with incredible literature.

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