Words I Say and Hear

Yesterday I was struck by how often I say the same things over and over and hear the same things over and over when I'm home with Liam. 

For example... 

"Liam, you may not throw golf balls in the house." 

"Liam, climb down off the table." 

"You must obey cheerfully!" 

"Mama will come and read books to you!" 

"No, you may not look at pictures of Liam on mama's phone." 

"I love you!" 

Then there are the things he says...

"Look mama!" 

"Play outside with Peter and Wusy!" (Or Lucy, our neighbor kids)

"Snack time!"  Or breakfast, lunch or supper time...

"Go outside, pick taebos!" (or tomatoes off our plant) 

"Yes, mama!" 

"A digger!" (Or garbage truck, skid steer, excavator, dump truck, backhoe loader, tractor, etc. And yes, he can differentiate between all those!) 

He is picking up new words, new thoughts, new ways of expressing himself daily. I realized as I listened to myself speak how much he repeats and mimics me. Our home is pretty much his whole world (besides church, the grocery store and Wonderlab apparently). In many ways I am his whole world and the words I speak to him are shaping his world. He picks up on my tone, my attitude, etc. 

As a mother my job is to teach him and raise him in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I must ask myself constantly, is my speech pointing him to Christ? Is my attitude when he wakes up early or he disobeys a cheerful or grumpy one? Am I glad to discipline him, understanding that this discipline is training him to obey God? Am I giving him love through words and actions throughout the day? 

Our words are powerful and even at a young age Liam knows that. He may not fully understand, but what we are teaching him now will have an impact on his life. I pray when he is older he remembers a mama and papa who disciplined him faithfully, taught him the scriptures and who God is, pointed him to Christ and loved him deeply.