Self-Reflection Sundays: Raising Kids on Princess Anne Water

I grew up in a household where all of a sudden, we started boiling water and refrigerating it instead of filling our cups with faucet water. Not knowing the reason, sometimes I got lazy and would still just get water from the sink, but I could tell that there definitely was a difference in taste. Today, I live in an area where the hot water is cloudy and it makes me wonder if simply moving the spigot from one side to the other would make the cold water suddenly safe. So we followed a recommendation from a friend to buy a water filter. The thing is, we don't just use the water solely for drinking.

A few years back, I started wondering about the negative affects of this water on our hair as we wash it, on our bodies as we shower and bathe in it, on our digestive system as we use it to cook. Having children, I wonder what influence it would have on them; on their functioning, on their skin, etc. I mean residing in one of the poorest counties in Maryland and one of the lowest counties academically (that happens to be "urban"), you tend to ponder on what systematic injustices are set in place so minutely that you're desensitized by it, and although there are helpful resources that are afforded to some in order to avoid the impact, not all are given the same advantage...or maybe I'm just tripping, I mean we don't live in Flint! 

Anyway, whether or not we are exposed to misfortune through the system (the water system, of course) is one thing. I can't ignore the fact that there are things that I want to shield my kids from, but it doesn't mean I will live in fear. Which is why my husband and I have to take the responsibility of raising them very seriously. The best way to do that is with God...

So we pray over them daily. We have to first and foremost trust that God is protecting them and giving them wisdom. 

We teach them. We are their parents, but we are not their only teachers. They will experience so much in life that we won't always be aware of. We have to make sure that we are giving them truth and filling in the gaps in an education system that wasn't designed for their success, in a world lacking on morality and packing in individualism, in a county that has already counted them out, in a time where it's easy to lean on your own understanding instead of defending the truth of your faith; we can't just rely on the Christian exposure given on Sunday...

I love the church background that I was given. I was raised going to Sunday School for numerous grade levels starting from nursery to adult classes, I went to Vacation Bible School every summer, I went to Bible study during the week. So many of these opportunities where we could learn about Jesus and Bible history haven't traveled strongly into this current decade. That doesn't excuse our kids from the need to learn and grow spiritually. Hubby and I have to pour into our kids; read the Bible with them, pray with them, talk to them, and actively model a Christian lifestyle.