How this mom and her kids are growing in godly character together

When Mihaela started to home-school her children, she knew she wanted to spend intentional time in God’s Word, but she wanted to go beyond basic Bible study and teach her children how to live out God’s character. That’s when she learned about Focus’ free Kids of Integrity lessons through a Facebook post.

After trying one of the lessons for a week, she was intrigued. “I found that I really enjoyed the parent’s prayer,” she recalls. “I would pray it out loud over my children, and then I would pray the sample prayer and we would memorize one of the many Scriptures listed there.”

It wasn’t long before she and her children were discovering and exploring more and more lessons from Kids of Integrity. But it was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that these lessons became crucial, not just for her children, but also for her.

Ever since the outbreak, Mihaela had been dealing with more anxiety and depression. Then she did the “joy” lesson with her children – not just once, but several times. By reading through the prayers and Scriptures in this lesson, she was able to find joy in the Lord once again and set an example for her children during these unprecedented times.

Each Kids of Integrity lesson focuses on a specific godly character trait such as joy, forgiveness and obedience. Parents like Mihaela work their way through sample prayers for themselves and their children, memory verses, crafts, Bible stories, hands-on activities, and creative ideas for discipline and coaching children to apply what they’ve learned in each lesson.

But it’s not just Mihaela’s children who are learning.

“When I saw the wide variety of lessons, I thought wow, there are things that I myself need to work on as a parent,” she explains. “When I am with my children and we go through the lessons, I feel vulnerable; at the same time, I am happy for them to see that I am human.”

“I ask for forgiveness when I am in the wrong,” she continues, “and I want them to learn that – that if mommy did something wrong, she is not covering it, she is asking forgiveness and trying to do better next time.”

As a parent, Mihaela is deepening her own relationship with God as she works through the lessons and her children are building a foundation of faith that will carry them through – especially as they see God at work in their mom’s life.

“We need daily growth in our families, our children,” she stresses. “We can’t just wait on one Sunday school lesson. We have to invest in our children, our families, our marriages.”

Mihaela realizes there are many cultural voices vying for the minds of her children. But it gives her peace knowing that Kids of Integrity comes from a source like Focus that she trusts, and that she’s free to dig into the lessons without having to worry about doctrinal issues.

“I am very, very, very grateful that Kids of Integrity and so many other resources are available,” she concludes. “The wording is so beautiful. The prayers on each lesson are so powerful. It really is something I am very thankful for. I treasure each lesson and all the things that come with it.”