This past weekend my boys asked if we could watch Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” for our family movie night. Having just come off a rough day with these wild boys, who had tortured a child at a birthday party, I perked up at the thought {redemption}.

I LOVE “The Pirates of Penzance”. The music. The humor. The characters. love. love. love.

When I was little my parents rented the Beta version of the movie and gave it to me as a Christmas present. This past Christmas my husband bought me the newly released DVD version. I was ecstatic to share something I loved with my boys. I was even more excited when they actually liked it!

So for them to ask to watch my absolute favorite movie was such a gift. It made up for all the moments of disobedience that day, the hitting each other, the breaking of things in the house…we sat cuddled up on the couch together and shared one of my loves.

It hit me how rare it is that I share something with them that I love. When we are driving in the car I often put on the music they enjoy. When picking a book to read we chose the one they like. Activities center around their interests.

By only ever following their lead, I am robbing them of many things… To know their mother in a new way. To gain appreciation for things they may not normally be exposed to. To become interesting and unique adults.

Have you ever watched a show like “American Idol” when the interesting, quirky singer talks about her parents? She shares that her greatest early influences were musicians that her father or mother enjoyed. Her parents had shared a love and it had inspired her to become a true artist. One who stood out from the crowd.

Do your kids know what you love? Do they know what you like to do for fun when you aren’t folding laundry and doing dishes? Have you told them why you love those things?

This principle I realized doesn’t just apply to our hobbies and favorite entertainment…we can share our love of the gospel. We can share a favorite verse. We can share a time in our lives when God helped us through something scary. We can tell them when we made a mistake and God loved us through it.

My hope is that one day when my boys are men and people ask them why they are so different they can confidently say that they fell in love with God because their mom shared her love of Him.

What interest {or love} will you share with your children today?

Here is a sweet clip of my son yesterday and his best friend…it warms my heart to hear them praising their Heavenly Father without prompting. Joining together in worship while they color:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIbGU42xM2w]