from the director | november 2015
Vicki Rutledge
You may have heard that we are celebrating our 65th anniversary of Weekday School this year. We’re pretty pleased about that. Guess who else is celebrating an anniversary this year? The Charlie Brown Christmas Special. This December will be the 50th consecutive year the show has been broadcast on network television. The Charlie Brown Christmas Special (and the Thanksgiving special too) were favorites of mine as a child.
Two things I still find interesting about the Christmas special:
- Linus reads from the Bible about the true meaning of Christmas in the Christmas special (I love that part!).
- Parents and adults are decidedly absent. We never see them. The only time we hear an adult voice it makes the infamous “wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah” sound (made with a trombone, btw).
The Peanuts’ portrayal of children moving through their day with no adults articulating anything intelligible is entertaining. But it is not real. As parents, we know that God calls us to actively engage in our children’s lives and shepherd them into adulthood in a way that honors Him. Proverbs 22:6 (NLT) says: “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” A parent's role and influence is foundational in a child’s life.
On a day-to-day level, however, have you ever felt like your preschooler is tuning you out? Are you worried that your child doesn’t listen to you? That your voice is making a “wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah” sound in their ears? May I gently suggest that the way you talk to your child may be contributing to the “listening/obeying problem.” This is true for all adults, including teachers! Read “How to: talk so your children will listen” if you want to discover some helpful talking tips.
In November, we host a Thanksgiving Brunch and Worship Service on Wednesday morning the 18th in the sanctuary. The highlight of the service will be the Thanksgiving songs each class will sing. This year we are honored that our former Director, Donna Speer, will be our special guest and will share a preschool-friendly thanksgiving message with all of us. Best of all, we video the morning and make a copy of the service available to you so you can sit back and soak it all in. Check you child’s school bag for a flyer with all the details.
Is it just me or do you sometimes feel sorry for Thanksgiving? Halloween and Christmas are so commercially driven that Thanksgiving seems to get the big squeeze-out. We may not be able to change this cultural reality, but we can be intentional about giving thanks with our families this month. We have so much to be thankful for. We’ve collected some of our favorite thanksgiving ideas in our Link Round Up.
Please know that “Every time I think of YOU, I give thanks to my God.” (Philippians 1:3)
P.S. Family Movie Alert! The Peanuts Movie comes out in a few days. Check the official movie site to put your voice into the Wah! Wah! Machine.