I thought this quote was very interesting. I came across it a few days ago.
"A child's character is forming under a principle, not of choice, but of nurture. The spirit of the house is breathed into his nature, day by day. The anger and gentleness, the fretfulness and patience--the appetites, passions, and manners-- all the variant moods of the feeling exhibited round him, pass into him as impressions, and become seeds of character in him; not because the parents will, but because it must be so, whether they will or not. The propagate their own evil in the child,not by design but under a law of moral infection...The spirit of the house is in the members of the children by nurture, not by teaching, not by any attempt to communicate the same, but because it is in the air the children breathe...Understand that it is the family spirit, the organic life of the house, the silent power of a domestic godliness, working as it does, unconsciously and with sovereign effect--this it is which forms your children to God."
Horace Bushnell, Christian Nurture
Quoted from, Classical Education and the Homeschool, by Wesley Callihan, Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson
Let this quote sink in...yes, our children sin of their own volition, but SO much of who they are is literally breathed into them by us. So convicting and humbling, yet so hopeful all at the same time. Doug Wilson says often in his sermons on parenting that our homes should be the epitome of laughter and joy.
Any thoughts? I thought this quote was quite intriguing and left me thinking about it a lot.
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!!
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I'm definitely chewing. It is a very thought provoking quote and I'll have to share it with Tim. Thanks for sharing it with us. One thing I've been thinking about lately is how much I am having to grow in the area of consistency. I think I will even have to grow to be consistently joyful with our children.
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Yes, this quote gives a mother a lot to think about and, in my case, a lot to repent of. :( I'm the mama of three kiddos, ages 3, 2 and 9 months. It can be easy to lose sight of the end goal in the midst of diaper changing, meal preparing, house cleaning and child training. Thank you for sharing...it has reminded me to keep my focus on what's truly important!
Have a lovely day!