In the tradition of  Rudolf Steiner’s  inner work according to the rhythm of each day of the week, today (Wednesday) is the day of “Right Standpoint”.  It is this idea of ordering our lives with harmony.  Put our lives in harmony with our values.  Put our lives in harmony with nature.  Put our lives in harmony, I would say, with God and the purpose God has set you here on earth for.  (As a Christian, I see definite purposes for my life as laid out in the Bible and by the Early Church fathers).    Life is one of the means, a  tool, to our own inner development as a human being.

If this is important for us as adults to work on, how much more important is this for our children who are still developing?  And, because our children are developing, it is up to us to help order their lives in these ways.

We can say no to media and screens because it is “entertainment” that is often full of sarcasm, violence, hypocrisy, and fills time instead of having our children learn to create and order their own time.

We can say yes to being out in nature, working in the earth with our hands, hiking, and taking care of God’s creation.

We can align our activities each week with what we say our priorities are.  I have met  parents who can tell me what their priorities are, but yet, the hours they spend each week does not reflect this at all.

If your goal for your children is for them to play, are they having time to play in an unstructured manner?

If your goal for your older children is for them to be able to help around the house, are you spending any time consistently teaching them how to do that?

If your goal is to spend time as a family, but you are always rushing off to activities, are you meeting your priority?

If your goal is to connect your children to a sense of a higher order in the world, are you spending any time connecting your home and family to church or synagogue or mosque? How much time are you spending praying, being with God, reading or listening to religious or spiritual material?

We can say no to prematurely rushing children through developmental stages.  Once the genie is out of the bottle, it is hard to put it back in.  I find this especially true around the transition points of the six/seven change, the nine year change, and the twelve year change. Proceed with caution.

We can say yes to unconditional love for ourselves, our spouse, our children and humanity.

Right standpoint is right harmony.  Where is your harmony?

Today is your day to slow down.  Not to be lazy, but to think.  Think before you commit your children and yourself to things outside the home.  Think before you blurt something out in conversation.  Consider, bring your actions in accordance with your standpoint, do not get buried under all the external things in life but look at the internal.

Many blessings,

Carrie