Praise God for children!
As many of you may already know, @papa-pepper is not my real name. Hopefully none of you take that news too hard, but it is true. If it is any consolation, I really am a papa and I do like peppers.
Though I may be a papa now, there was a time when I didn't want to have any children. Life was very different back then, and I am glad that those days are over. I think a lot of my success here is due to the fact that I am very different than I once was. Without that change being made, I don't think anyone would be too impressed with me. I share more about all of that in this video I made a while ago, just in case anyone is interested.
Now that I have five @little-peppers, children are a big part of my life. Since we homeschool them and since I am trying to set up our lives in a way that I can work from home to earn whatever income we need, our children are around us a lot, and we are around them a lot too.
It is a huge blessing to be able to see my children all throughout the day when I don't have to leave for work. Since they are around, they see the things that we do ranging from household chores and normal "life stuff" to building chicken tractors and clearing land for our house. Often, from their tiny perspective, they manage to come up with some very good ideas.
MONSTER TRUCK THE PEPPER SOLVES A PROBLEM
THE BLESSING OF CREATIVITY
The happy little guy with an apple in the photo above in "Monster Truck the Pepper." (Also not a real name.) He is one of my biggest helpers, since he is still four and doesn't have the same regiment of studies that his older sisters have with our homeschooling curriculum. Basically, that means if @papa-pepper is working on a project, there is a good chance Monster Truck is my right hand man.
There is usually some job appropriate for a little guy his size to do, so I try to keep him busy and engaged, and together we can get a lot done. Before we left on our trip up to Wisconsin, I wanted to get a new area fenced in for our hogs to graze on. Eventually we will try raising them in a pasture, but for now we are using them to clear some land.
Driving T-posts in the ground and hooking up some cattle panels to them takes a bit of effort, but in the end they serve the purpose and get the job done.
At one point I asked Monster Truck to go get me a spool of wire. It took him a bit, but when he came back he had a spool of wire and a bungee cord. To a parent, there is the instant encouragement to think that the boy took longer because he goofing around playing with other things, like the bungee cord, rather than just getting what he was asked to get, like the spool of wire.
Sometimes in these instances it is best to not jump to conclusions and to instead give the child a chance. When I asked him about it, he certainly had an answer.
He figured that if I used the bungee cord to hold the wire spool to the fence, then I wouldn't lose it in the bushes or have to struggle to find where I left it. Instead, it would be hanging right there where I could see it. The little guy had already watched how I would fill a five gallon bucket with tools and hang it by the handle on top of the T-post to keep my resources close. He took things one step further and found a way to do the same with the wire.
I was personally blown away, and also encouraged. Often there are things that I make and create without a plan or blueprint. Sometimes it is best to search your mind for a design or solution rather than have to look one up every time. Apparently our @little-peppers are learning to do the same!
For all of you parents out there, be slow to judge a matter and give your little ones a chance... not only to explain their actions, but also to think, create, and invent. They are the future!
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-bungee-cord
Until next time…
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Even though I find you weird with all your little snakes and spiders I must compliment you on the way that you raise your kids. I honestly believe that they will become better people because of the fact that you home school them and you teach them to use their common sense. This is something that they will NOT learn anywhere else. Life is about living and survival. It doesn't matter how you survive...a college degree is not going to put food on the table. Your children are blessed to have you in their lives.
Well said @giantbear!
Thank you for that encouragement! (and honesty!)
One of my big issues is that I am totally outspoken...lol...I behave myself on the steemit platform.
wow @papa-pepper you are so correct and your tribe AKA @little-peppers are real blessings and awesome to see in action ie helping my dear wild man keeping it real. I feel the same way too as a fellow dad and glow with joy due to my little one . Keep up the great work , you will always have my upvote and greetings to @papa-pepper tribe.
Moreover, would you see my latest post on why I think that steemit is undervalued and send in your thoughts -which will help my readers get a more comprehensive view point. I wish you more success.
I have four children and most of the time they are monsters, but what's most worrying they don't seem to be growing out of it
Oh no! That sounds terrible!
My youngest girl is the most demanding, but no it's not that bad
That is so awesome!! Our children are such a blessing, arent they!?!
And pretty fine teachers sometimes too!!
Wow, nice thinking from the little guy. You can even spool the wire out from where it hangs. BTW when I first saw your name, i misread it as "papa-prepper." I didn't like that so much. Pepper is better.
Pepper is better! Thanks man!
Very good post. Please vot for vot.
quite interesting, no doubt you are teaching your children to use their own common sense to solve the particular problem but i thing you to focus on programming their mind so that they able to focus on solution as compare to the problems, only then they are going to become much better as compare to others.
You are amazing @papa-pepper
Thank you.
Nice Work @papa-pepper
a very good post and can be made in an example.
I completely agree with you....to see our children around and watch them learn new life lessons everyday is one of the best feeling for parents.
I always loved the way my kids minds worked and would stand back and let them work out solutions, many times as a adult we over think an issue whereas they see things in the most simplistic ways. Great job of letting them work it out!
You will be amazed what children can do. Their minds are like sponges. They can problem solve and this is the exact example. We must allow our children to think and solve - we must sit back and observe (to direct and instruct when needed). Otherwise, children will absolutely amaze you.
Very good points!
@papa-pepper!
This is based on PARENTING, So I gone through every single word of your precious blog. This is amazing and believe me tears were in my eyes while reading the stuff. Actually I homeschooled my 4 kids for 3 years(result was not the same which I was expecting). But I got some wonderful skills in my children which I never seen to other ones. I belong to a very backward area in the world so might be I was not able to get the things which involves in homeschooling. Good luck for your homeschooling.
And yes I love these words:
For all of you parents out there, be slow to judge a matter and give your little ones a chance... not only to explain their actions, but also to think, create, and invent. They are the future!
Your reply touches me deeply. Thank you for that.
Cuz I wrote it with my heart.
Your children are blessed to be at home with their parents. Life is so short and so many people miss the best years. My mother has a stunning relationship with all of her three adult offspring @papa-pepper
Very lucky children that you get to spend so much time together!and great to watch them learn. Good thinking by the little man.
okay
Little people are a lot smarter than we generally give them credit for. It's when we coddle our children and try to do everything for them that we end up stifling their creativity!
Very too!
Good reminder of how far you have come in life. so happy to see how you keep engaging your children. What a great little helper!
good jobs @papa-pepper , thanks for sharing in steemit..
Well done monster truck the pepper, keep watching papa and thinking how to make his life easier for him. He is getting old enough to need a good spare hand.
So far so good! That little guy is a blessing!
It's so great that you can homeschool your children. I wish that had be possible in the places where I lived (Germany and Iceland). For them school pretty often was some kind of hell.
Problem-solving skills is exactly what you get when you allow children to be creative. Regular schools rarely give kids that opportunity. Instead of productive, peaceful cooperation they further short-sighted aggressive competition, cruelty and exclusion.
Congratulation to your clever little boy.
Great approach man! Patience and encouragement are key. You sound like a great dad. It is challenging sometimes but it's our responsibility to be the Grown-ups.
Cheers Papa!
posting is very good @papa-pepper
Succes for you..
You are lucky to be around your kids that much, (and they their father) cherish it, they grow up so fast.
Love the first video of your past that you shared with true honesty. I can really relate to how people can change since my life was very much like yours. It takes a lot to come on here and confess how you were. I use my past as a testimony to others that I Witness to. People seem to relate to others that have been through much of the same things they have. I believe there is a reason we go through the things we do in life and it can be a tool to help others if used in the right way. We can either choose to be a light in this world or spread darkness. I can see that your past has truly affected the person you are now and I believe you are touching so many lives through the things you are doing here. God put us all here for a reason and I believe you are right where he wants you. As everyone shares in your testimony, they can see that Jesus changes everything! We are all Blessed to have you here. My best to you and your family and may God continue to Bless you. He sure has Blessed us with a wonderful person in you! Resteeming as usual!
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STOPYour clearly bringing up Monster Truck well for him to be that creative and also to have the confidence and independence to think of and grab the Bungee cord,
many kids I see these days a) wouldnt be out helping, b) would be grumbling if out helping and C0 if asked to go get something would take there time but only return with what was asked for or come back with nothing forgetting what they were asked to get
so Cheers for doing a great job of parenting
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These verses have come up for me several times very recently and again in this post I am reminded of them once more. This is the third time, I think God (Yehovah) is trying to work on something in me. Thank you for this post
your real name(was auto-removed by bots to protect anonymity)@papa-pepper.
Having purposed it, He brought us forth by the Word of truth, for us to be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures. So then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of Elohim.
Ya‛aqoḇ (James) 1:18-20 TS2009
Hey, @papa-pepper! It is really nice to see the creativity in the young peppers. Kids need to use their minds and learn to problem solve. I like the way you are encouraging this. Monster Pepper will become an even bigger helper to his papa in the future. This post was too good to pass on giving you some thoughts.
Well, @papa-pepper. I reviewed the first video on why @papa-pepper is the way he is, and I felt the need to comment. First, I really appreciate your honesty and sincerity. We all have done things in the past that we are not particularly proud of, that's what makes us the frail human beings that we are. With the right help and we accept that help, then we find our way to a better path. When we let in the Light, the darkness is shed and we become better people. To remind ourselves where we have been can be a good thing as long as we don't dwell on it and move forward.
I admire your desires to stay home and guide the development of your @little-peppers! I'm going to start formally homeschooling my oldest in the coming months. Any advice for a dad just getting started on the homeschool journey?
My family homeschools too. I firmly feel that parents should be the most important and most influential educators in a child's life.
It is encouraging to hear how you are using real-life ecents to be the school room for your kids. Keep it up!
And what a wow moment! Children are so creative. They are so resourceful, but we live in a time when parents don't allow creativity, or even worse we try to suppress creativity.
Come on parents! We have to equip our kids to become the future adult versions of themselves that they are meant to be.
Ok, I'll stop now. Sorry about the impromptu soap box speech.
Keep up the good work, @papa-pepper!
Nice video,,,,,
What a great story. I love when my son surprises me. The other day we ran into some old friends at the grocery store and when we introduced our son Luke he went up to them and shook their hands. I asked him later why he shook their hands and he said "because that is what you do when you meet people"
@papa-pepper is there any chance I can add I link to your blog in our weekly #steemparents post? Every Friday we create a post called "Fatherhood Friday" where we highlight blogs about parenting. I think this would be a great addition.
Darryl (@dadview) resides in Canada. He is an active member of steemparents and #teamcanada
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