Lenten Promises

When I was a child, my mom always had us do two things for the 40 days of Lent: give something up, and try to do something positive. It was always more difficult to do the positive things. Somehow, giving up chocolate was much easier than trying to be nicer to my sisters. When Ash Wednesday rolled around last week, the girls and I decided to give up sweets. I forgot about discussing the possibility of doing something positive.

While running on Saturday, I realized that our Lenten promises were pretty ridiculous. I knew I could go 40 days without sweets, and while Zoe especially would complain, with all the fruits coming into season, the girls probably wouldn't miss the cookies and candy. So what would be the point, then? I don't think God will mind if we change our plan a couple of days into Lent, do you? I thought about what promises might do the most good for everyone, and brought up the subject when I returned home.

This is what we decided would be good for the girls:

1. Limit the TV time. The whole TV watching experience has gotten out of hand. I am pretty sure it has to do with all the sicknesses we've had as of late, but I really have gotten lax, and the girls have gotten lazy. We decided that TV had to be limited to 1 program a day. And that doesn't mean a 3 hour program! In this way, the girls are sort of "giving something up" for 40 days.

2. Listen more effectively. For their "something positive", the girls decided that they would try to be better listeners all around; they would try to listen better to mom and dad, as well as to their siblings and friends. And they would be pretty conscientious about reminding each other of their Lenten promise.

I distinctly remember the girls saying that one of their New Year's Resolutions had to do with listening, and when I think back to the past couple of months, I do believe that they are doing a better job listening at home. Of course, there is always room for improvement, so I approved of their choice. In actuality, I think these two promises together will be more difficult for them to keep than simply giving up sweets, but I also think they will feel more fulfilled by keeping them.

Since I do not watch much TV at all, and I think I am a pretty good listener, I plan on doing something positive to better myself. But that decision is a little personal, and perhaps another post altogether.