Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Parents and PDAs

Hugs, hand holding and kissing are all normal scenes in our home. 

I love you is a daily statement between all of us.

And yes, I can usually count on a butt smack when I walk past my husband.

We’ve never hidden the affection and love we have for each other from our children.  I think it’s great for kids to see Mom and Dad putting their relationship first.  Most of the time, especially in today’s society, the opposite happens.  Parents are making their kids a priority and at the end of the day, they just don’t have any time left for each other.

Why is affection in front of your kids important?

1.  You’re showing them a healthy marriage

It’s so important that our kids can watch us giving our spouse love and respect.  That they can see we are still pursuing our spouses heart.  The byproduct is that my kids see their parents dating.

Our kids are watching us.  They are learning to be comfortable with affection and to be affectionate with their own partner in the long run.  Kiss your husband, dance with him and hold his hand.  Pursue his heart.  Show them your romance.  What an absolutely perfect place for them to learn about love!

And think about it, if Christian marriages look boring why would our kids want to grow up and have one of their own?  We need to show them that even though what the world has to offer looks fun and exciting, a Christian marriage can blow that out of the water!  They will undoubtedly pick up certain things from media and movies but the most important lessons come from you!  We need to be modeling a healthy, fun and exciting marriage to our children if we want to have any hope of them wanting it for themselves.  This constantly teaches something healthy to counter the constant barrage of media, pop culture and peer influence.

We are not only telling our kids what a happy, healthy marriage looks like, we are showing them.

2.  You’re giving them security

When children see their parents giving each other time, affection, and respect it is a reassurance of our love and makes them feel secure.

They can see their parents taking care of themselves so that frees that up to enjoy being a child.  They don’t have to worry about Mommy and Daddy because they take care of each other.  Seeing parents happy together breeds emotionally healthy children.

Whether we know it or not, our kids worry about divorce.  They hear at school about their friends parents getting a divorce, and it makes their little minds wonder about their parents.  When they see affection between their parents, and can see their parents love each other, it squelches those fears and gives them security.

3.  You are helping your marriage!

There is power in a kiss, even if it happens while you’re cooking dinner.  Kissing brings a spike in dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin.  This increases feelings of pleasure, longing and contentment.  And it fosters bonding.  So that kiss while you’re cooking is really helping your marriage!

Kissing is an essential act of marital intimacy.  I am a big supporter of pursuing your mans heart and being intentional about intimacy.  That is apparent by reading my series called Intimacy Ignited.  You will have a better, more fulfilling marriage if you’re kissing often.

So go ahead, embarrass your littles.  Show them you’re healthy marriage.  Pursue your husbands heart and plant a big ole’ smooch on him today.

July Wallpaper // Freebie

To grab these wallpapers just right-click on either DESKTOP or IPHONE below, right-click on the image, save the image and set it as either your desktop wallpaper or your iPhone Home or Lock screen.  Enjoy!

DESKTOP // IPHONE

Disclaimer: These designs are Copyright © 2018 Forever Beloved/Amy Cutler and are for personal use only.  You must not re-distribute or use commercially.  If you share one on social media, please tag @foreverbeloved or link back to www.foreverbeloved.net

 

Lessons To Instill In Your Sons Heart

Boys will be boys, that’s for sure. But the concept “well what can you do, they’re typical boys” doesn’t necessarily resonate with me.  I think so many times in this world we give up on our sons before we give them a chance.

Every day we have the opportunity to shape our children.  We are able to speak knowledge and love directly into their hearts.  Our words will become their inner voice.  Children are like sponges, soaking in the messages around them, absorbing those messages into the fiber of their lives.  All of these messages, whether intentional or unintentional, have the opportunity of leading our children either closer to understanding their God-given value, or farther away.  Imagine the power of all the words breathed into them being positive and uplifting!

We are quick to remind our girls that they are daughters of the King, but how often do we remind our boys that they are a son of the King?  How can we do that?  By instilling important lessons in their heart.

30 Lessons We Should Teach Our Sons

  1. Love the Lord. Love Him with all your heart, mind and strength. {Luke 10:27}
  2. Respect her. She is a lady, please treat her as one. {1 Peter 3:7}
  3. You are unique. You are God’s handiwork, crafted by Him and for His good pleasure. He uniquely designed you to be you alone, comfortable in your own skin. {Psalm 139:13}
  4. Respect your elders. Look them in the eye. Take the time to listen to what they have to say. I mean really listen. Shake their hand. Heed their advice. And defend them if needed. {1 John 4:4}
  5. Give too much rather than too little.  You will never regret giving more than what is expected, whether it be of you at work or in the tithe plate at church. {2 Corinthians 9:7}
  6. Control your temper. When you get angry, calm down and start doing what God has called you to do. You can be bitter or better—it’s up to you! {Proverbs 29:11}
  7. Do what needs to be done. Without being told. Don’t wait to be asked when you know what you should do. If you see it, do it.
  8. Take telling. Consider it an opportunity to learn and grow. {Proverbs 3:11}
  9. Create your own path. Be ready to create your own path in life. You can choose the wide path or the narrow path, it is your choice. Just be sure you choose wisely.
  10. Life is not a fairy-tale. Life, love, and relationships are not like the movies.
  11. Have a servant’s heart. Give back to your community. While you’re doing good for others, it really does the most for you! To humbly serve is a very manly quality. Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently. Follow Christ’s example. {Mark 10:45}
  12. Have integrity. Strive to be honest and just. Work to develop a strong ethical foundation. Have a code of morals that you stick to. To be respected a man must be a person of morals and live a godly life. Someday you will be the head of your household and will need stability and common sense. A leader that is followed willingly is a man who has character and integrity.
  13. Love your neighbors. Leave your mark by loving each and every person your life touches, those who love you and those who don’t. Love has no conditions. It expects nothing in return. It gives freely, multiplies and grows. Do this and everything else will work itself out. {Mark 12:31}
  14. Your wife should be the #1 woman in your life. As much as it breaks my heart to say this, she should even be before me. I’m confident that I’ve raised you with enough love in your heart for both of us. {Genesis 2:24}
  15. Don’t give in. I’m sure you’ve already experienced this pressure more than we know. Pressure to talk a certain way, to treat girls a certain way, to be disrespectful, to smoke, drink or do drugs. You don’t need any of those to have a good time. You possess the strength and character to walk away. God will help you stand. You don’t have to give in.
  16. Laugh! It’s the best stress reliever. One of the biggest gifts God has blessed you with is your sense of humor. Seriously, cannot even count how many times I’ve laughed to the point of my stomach hurting. We’ve had soooo many great times laughing in this household. Don’t ever forget how to laugh. {Psalm 126:2}
  17. Keep your word. A gentleman follows through on what he says he will do. {1 John 2:5}
  18. Go on vacation with your family at least once a year. Families need to learn how to vacation with one another. They need to learn how to spend time together, unplugged, and just enjoy each other.
  19. Be polite. Like Thumper’s mama said If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.
  20. Be creative! You grew up with a mama wielding a glue gun in one hand and sequins in the other. And a dad who sang crazy, made-up songs.
  21. You are known by the friends you keep. Bad company corrupts good morals. {I Corinthians 15:33}
  22. I believe in you. I am so super confident that God is doing so many amazing things in your life, things you can’t even fathom right now. God has a purpose and plan for your life. Always follow His lead and He will take you amazing places.
  23. Work hard. Be known as a hard worker. God wants us to work hard and do our jobs well. He wants us to be an example to the world of what good hard work can bring. Remember, dirt washes off. {Proverbs 6:6}
  24. Watch your words. Our words carry immeasurable significance.  {Proverbs 13:3}
  25. Credit cards are evil. Seriously. Live without debt. Money problems ruin marriages, friendships and jobs.
  26. Be a gentleman. Step back to let her in the door first. Hold that door open for her. Offer to carry heavy items for her. Protect and defend her.
  27. Friendships are important. Invest in strong, loyal friendships. The kind of friend who “sticks closer than a brother” {Proverbs 18:24}
  28. Be soft. Don’t ever be too “manly” to hold your wife’s hand, say I love you and kiss her goodnight. Don’t ever be ashamed to let your daughter put makeup on you or have a tea party with her.
  29. Take that second chance. Sometimes it might even take a third, fourth and fifth chance. Every day is a new start. Use that brand new day to get it right, to kiss her face, to say no, to say I’m sorry, to ask forgiveness, to do it over and to make a new start. I want you to know that this is what God is about. Grace. He wants to give you as many chances as it takes, just don’t ever stop taking them.
  30. It’s okay to cry. It really is. Boys are always pushed so hard to be tough. But I want you to know real men are tender, they defend those who can’t defend themselves and they care about others. They cry when their beautiful wives walk down the aisle and when they see their sweet babies face for the first time. And it’s okay!