Deliberate Mothering

Have you heard the term? To me, it means having a purpose in my teaching and the activities we do in a day. Are we doing things with a goal or a lesson in mind? Now realistically every day is going to have a lot of spontaneous moments that turn into deliberate moments. The key is to recognize them and to capitalize on them. One day my kids and I talked about Abortion and Abstinence and Adoption. It came about because one child asked a question and I took the time to really give them an answer and to really talk about how special LIFE is. They learned a lot and so did I. We talked about the great gift of procreation and how we save it for marriage because it is a special gift given from our Father in Heaven so that we can become like him and have joy in having families. So much better to bring that up when they ask, instead of me awkwardly trying to bring up the subject.
But most of our conversations or moments are short. Reminding a child how to listen to the Holy Ghost, teaching them to be kinder to each other. Finding joy in the moments. When I feel as if the day is a race and I just have to finish it, I miss the most important parts. So I am striving to be more deliberate. REALIZING that lowering my voice, teaches my children patience with each other. Realizing that congratulating a job well done is more than just a happy feeling now, but a life time lesson of accomplishment and working hard to earn the reward.
What do you do to be deliberate in your mothering?