Day Twenty-four: 30 day husband encouragement challenge

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the

training and admonition of the Lord.” Eph. 6:4

Children can be quite a challenge to the marriage relationship. A wise wife will support

her husband’s leadership in the home as much as possible, and will praise him for his

fathering skills. Negativity makes a man feel like a failure, and may make him to want to

give up.

Does your husband discipline your children wisely? Does he show them love and

encourage them? Does he take an interest in their activities and dreams? Does he

spend time with them? Does he take part in developing their character? Praise him for

these important life skills.

If you don’t have children – is your husband positive and encouraging around other

people’s children? Let him know that you have noticed.

If your husband does not experience positive relationships with children, you will need

to figure out why. Perhaps he had negative experiences as a child with his own parents,

and needs to learn how to respond. Perhaps you can lovingly and patiently show him

how to parent – while still maintaining his authority in the home.

I try to support Mr Wonderful’s leadership in our home.  This is hard as I have done all the parenting on my own over the last 14 years or so (with a brief break while I lived with My Home Schoolers dad – and he was abusive).  I have learnt it is much better to talk to Mr Wonderful privately if I disagree with anything.

I think Mr Wonderful is wonderful with children.

Mr Wonderful does love both our boys.  Sometimes we disagree about discipline but we talk about it in private. He is always keen to chat to Our Home Schooler about the things hes learning and the things hes involved in. He has popped in play group with our toddler sometimes.  He likes to see what he has done for art at play group.  He loves to have “chats” with Our Little Man.  He is involved in raising both our boys.  He thinks Our Home Schooler should be more responsible.  He treats the boys differently.  However, I guess they are very different.  One is 12 and one is 2 after all.  One is his biological son and one is stepson.

Mr Wonderful was treated very firmly as a child.  It has taken a long time for his father and him to get on well.  Mr Wonderfuls dad is a really great man, whom I get on well with however he was harder on Mr Wonderful than he was on Mr Wonderful’s sisters.  I think this is probably a common occurance.  I remind my self when he is a bit hard on Our Home Schooler of this fact.

Overall I think I am very blessed.