Dishing Up Devotions for Homeschooling FamiliesSample

Learning Self-Control

We all struggle with temptation. For me (and my children), it’s the allure of junk food. I’ve found that I actually do better when I have junk food in the house because otherwise, I fall into the trap of believing I am missing out or lacking something. When I know a treat is readily accessible in my cupboards, it can sit there untouched for months.  

My kids are just the opposite. If they see it, they crave it. For them, I’ve found I need to put the junk out of sight to get it out of mind. If they know there are treats available, like, after a holiday, they ask for them morning, afternoon, and evening. Every. Single. Day.

One year, I found a child (who shall remain nameless) had been sneaking into the stash of candy from Halloween. The bucket had a ton of empty wrappers, and I found more stashed in said child’s bedroom. I realized the temptation had been too great, so I allowed each kid to grab a couple of candies, and then we threw the rest of the bucket in the trash, which I quickly took out to the dumpster. While they felt disappointed in the moment, they quickly forgot about the candy and escaped the constant temptation to overindulge.

My kids learned a valuable lesson in self-control that day. We talked about how we need to know what triggers us, how it affects us, and what we can do to combat it. That is how we develop self-control. 

Family Activity

As parents, we constantly work to help build self-control in our kids. This week, we are going to allow our children to strengthen their own self-control in a certain area. Maybe it’s in regulating the amount of screen time, doing their work without prompting, not yelling, picking up their toys, or refraining from indulging in treats. As a family, each of you will choose one area to increase self-control. Write it down and keep a daily journal of what you did or didn’t do. For younger kids, you can create a simple chart and mark with stickers, or draw check marks or smiley faces so they can track their progress. At the end of the week, talk about what worked and what didn’t. Discuss ways to continue to increase self-control and celebrate your successes.