If I had to guess my kids' future careers today...

Justice
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would guess that Justice is going to be a teacher or instructor of some sort. Perhaps he will be a teacher in the school system . Maybe he’ll be a coach of a sport. Or become a pastor and teach God’s word. In whatever way, shape, or form, I have noticed that Justice comes alive when he gets to teach someone how to do something. It energizes him to put in the effort to help someone - and in the examples above, he took the initiative to do so with no prompting from anyone.  When the 'lesson' comes full circle and the person he is helping finally ‘gets it’ he is just as excited as they are. Justice has also been wired to be a patient old soul. He doesn’t get flustered or agitated by his ‘pupils’ when they don’t catch on right away. He doesn’t yell. He doesn’t roll his eyes. He doesn’t hurry them along. He’s an encourager, and knows how to feed the confidence of others. He takes cues regarding different personalities. For example, he knows that what will work to teach JJ ~ a perfectionist ~ will not necessarily be what works to teach Jayla ~ the light-hearted yet sensitive one.


   Jennifer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time will tell if this is just a fascination with the texture of ‘white people hair’ or something more. Whatever the case, I most definitely could see Jennifer becoming a hair stylist! Jennifer is constantly commenting on her hair, Jayla’s hair, Jasara’s hair and my hair. “Oooooh mommy, I love Jayla’s hair!” That’s what I hear after I slick Jayla’s hair back into a ponytail for dance class. “My hair is coming and my face is changing!” That’s what she says after I pick out her hair in the morning and she takes note of her hair growth. She’s always constantly asking Jayla and I, “Can I do your head?” She loves to brush our hair, put in clips, and section it off into twists. She loves to wash Jayla and Jasara’s hair in the bathtub if they’ll let her. When we change things up a bit and I curl my hair or straighten out Jayla’s hair she is quite captured by the process and gets pretty zoned in. I cannot imagine how excited she is going to be when I get to put a style into her hair for the first time. I knew that I was feeling all that pressure to get my braiding and extension adding technique down for something! I can’t wait until we get to start and she sees the endless options and designs with her hair type as well!

Jayla

 

 

 

 

“Mommy, when you was little did you always know that you wanted to be a Mommy when you grew up?”

“Do white people grow up to be white mommies?”

“And brown people grow up to be brown mommies?”

“Mommy, where will you be when I am a mom?”

Jayla is in definite “mommy mode” right now! She’s always loved to tote her baby dolls around, but lately I have noticed her literally STUDYING the role of being a mom. All day long I seriously feel like I am at a job interview and she is taking notes on my every word, action, and duty! She’s been asking me all sorts of questions about being a mom like the ones I listed above and others: how do I decide which behaviors lead to disciplinary measures and which don’t?, do I like cooking?, do I like folding laundry?, etc. She has even been referring to her grandma (my mom) as “your mom” when she comes up in our conversations – this is something new where I feel like she wants to label all moms as moms! Since it is just me, Jayla, and Jasara at home now during the day, Jayla is practically memorizing my every move with Jasara and then imitates it all in pretend play later on. She’s got the mom-tone down. She’s tender and sweet when she's in play mode with her brothers and sisters, yet she’ll correct offenses and rehearse the family rules when one of them gets out of line. In addition to all this, when you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she says ‘a mommy’. She doesn’t even hesitate. Whew! This lil gal is going to keep me humble and on my toes that’s for sure! What I see when I look at Jayla is a future as a caretaker. Jayla has been wired to be sensitive to the physical needs, hurts, and emotions of others. This wiring could most definitely take the form of a full-time mom, or even a nurse. [I would not be the least bit surprised if it also lead her down the path of caring for animals.] I can’t wait until she gets to go to Ghana with us for the first time. I wonder how her future experiences there might ignite her caretaker heart and maybe spark her interest in becoming a foster mother at orphanages some day.

JJ

 

Oh JJ. A future in sports is just in your blood. No doubt about it. :)  Yes, I could picture JJ playing at a high level in basketball or football someday. But what has me even more dumbfounded than his perfect shooting form, or his jab-step-pump-fake, is his knowledge of the game (NBA, NFL, NCAA hoops and football). JJ will spout off random stats about players, or will be able to tell you what play or defense or offense would work best for a particular game situation. He sounds like a 30 year old guy who could be sitting at the ESPN desk going round and round with the top sports analysts. “Bill Walker is a free agent. He was hurt all last year and nobody has resigned him.” That’s just one sentence that I wrote down yesterday out of his random, running log of sports conversations around the house. Who in the world is Bill Walker? Well, thanks to JJ I now know he used to play for the Knicks. JJ knows players and coaches and teams like he knows his ABC’s. He can guess what play the coach is going to call while watching a game, or get into a deep conversation with Jake that includes so much basketball lingo that I feel like they are speaking a different language. The other night we had to giggle because JJ informed Jake that Jake’s former college coach had a game on channel 613 at 8pm. We never would’ve known if it weren’t for JJ. Helping JJ’s cause is technology at his fingertips where he can look up scores and games and the top sports news on the iphone whenever his little heart desires. So JJ, I do believe your athletic skills and sportsminded brain will take you far. I imagine we will be seeing you on Sportscenter someday….either on the court, on the field, behind the telecaster booth, or all of the above!

Jasara

It’s a leeeeeetle to early for me to guess what Jasara might be up to someday. But, I can tell you this: she’s bound to be in charge. You don’t get a name that means “boldness” for nothin.

 

Lord,

I thank You for the gifts and talents You have placed in our children. I pray that You would develop them in our children and use them for Your glory. Make their gifts and talents apparent to Jake and I and to our children themselves. Show us specifically if there is any special nurturing, training, learning experience, or opportunity we should provide for them. May their gifts and talents be developed in Your way and Your time.

Your word says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them" (Romans 12:6). As our children recognize the talents and abilities You've given them, I pray that no feelings of inadequacy, fear, or uncertainty will keep them from using them according to Your will. May they hear the call You have on their life so that they don't spend a lifetime trying to figure out what it is or miss it altogether. Let their talents never be wasted, watered down by mediocrity, or used to glorify anything or anyone other than You, Lord.

I pray that You would reveal to our children what their life work is to be and help them to excel in it. Bless the work of their hands, and may they be able to earn a good living doing the work they love and do best.

Your word says that, "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16) May whatever my children do find favor with others and be well received and respected. But most of all, I pray the gifts and talents You placed in them be released to find their fullest expression in glorifying You.

Amen.

(prayer from Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian)