Sometimes on MOTHBoard (the forum for registered owners of Managers of Their Homes books to discuss scheduling issues), we receive some extraordinary information. That happened recently, and I wanted to share it with you. First you will hear from a mom who is having trouble getting her girls to do their scheduled chores. Then you will read about an unusual but extremely powerful solution. I think you will be challenged.

How I Encouraged My Children to Do Their Chores

“Hello, my issue is with my 11, 13, and 16-year-old daughters doing their chores. The 16-year-old will do them but not always when she’s meant to. The 13-year-old is very, very slow at doing them. The 11-year-old will stamp upstairs, mutter under her breath, scream and shout, etc. before she does them, and sometimes she won’t do them. I am at my wit’s end. Mummy”

“Hi, Mummy,
We did something very unpopular, but it has been very, very effective. We stopped all media. That means no television shows and no video games. The only Internet in our house is on my computer in the main area of the home, so it’s visually accessible to everyone in the home.

I know. Some families cannot even imagine life without a television, and that’s okay. But if I may share some of the benefits with you, one of them is that our daughters’ behaviors and attitudes improved by leaps and bounds that first year.

The other benefits would include how much more creative they have become in problem solving, their grades have improved, they’ve learned to do things like sewing and bike riding more instead of sitting stagnant in front of the TV. Most importantly, they aren’t exposed to as many sinful images. So their eyes (Jesus calls our eyes, or sight/vision, the “window to the soul”) are protected more. The result of that? They’ve had an increased understanding of God’s Word, and their relationship with Him is more precious to them. Plus our family is much, much closer.

Removing media from your home will not be an easy decision. Lots of stomping and snorting and complaining may follow from your children. If you and your sweet husband pray about it, however, and come up with a plan to implement that strategy, you will never regret it.

That’s just one idea. 🙂 It has improved our lives so very much, and I hope you won’t mind my sharing it.

Praying with you.

Lots of love in Christ,
Melissa”

Sometimes families battle with difficult attitudes in children without realizing there are influences that might be underlying those attitudes. We were quite impressed by the changes this family discovered when they chose to remove media from their children’s lives. It was impressive to hear about the changes that can occur in children’s attitudes and in their relationships with Jesus when media is removed. Doing chores is important, but there is nothing as vital to a life than a relationship with Jesus Christ. What would happen if you removed media from your home?