Fingers Under the Bathroom Door

With four children in the house, I very rarely go to the bathroom by myself.  When there is not company in the house, I tend to leave the bathroom door standing open just to listen for the chaos that is inevitable.  But the rare times when I sneak off to the bathroom and close the door, here come little knocks, cries for justice (he hit me, she took my seat), or the fingers that creep under the bathroom door as if to join me.

As a mother I am on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  They are always with me and always watching.  So it should come to no surprise that my FAVORITE verse is Deuteronomy 6:6-9

"These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on you children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

God never said to study the Bible only when at church.  He actually never commanded that we have a formal family meeting and read the Bible, say a prayer and sing a song.  These verses are encouraging us to make the Bible a part of EVERYTHING we do.  If it were a modern version, the verse might read, "as you drive in the car, as you post to Facebook, as you go to the bathroom in the Walmart"  As you GO.  God knows that the life in this world can get filled up with the to do lists and the ballet practices and the trips to the grocery store.  What is important is that you invite Him into all of your goings and comings.  (Psalm 121:8)

Before I even met my husband, I learned all about how the development of a baby starts in the mommy's womb.  I learned about brain development and how songs heard in the womb were often remembered by the baby after birth and would calm the baby.  So, like most new moms, I sang to our babies when they were still in my tummy.  And I determined from the very first child, that I would sing hymns and Christian tunes over and over.  What better start to their little lives?

It was in those very early days of our firstborn that I was trying to figure out what to do with this new person.  What could we play that would help her learn?  Visual stimulation with brightly colored toys, walks outdoors to experience creation, and books (loads of books).  And we would sing those familiar songs to her and we would talk about what the Bible said and it just became natural that whatever we were doing, we would bring the Bible into it.  Even when little fingers come poking under the bathroom door.

Four kids and almost 11 years into parenthood and we still try to have the Bible as a part of everything we do.  Consider this part one in a series.  I will try to share what works for us for each age group we have experienced.  Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age, and preteen.