(my baby is probably doing the backstroke or something because I can totally feel it wriggling)

So lately I have been thinking about myself, my family, and the values I want to live by and pass on to my children. The last couple of years of my life have been consumed by dating, engagement, early marriage, and the anticipation of upcoming parenting. But now that Matt and I have settled into our daily routine, I have been reexamining my choices and trying to decide what kind of wife and mother I want to be, and what values I would like to instill in my family.
I have already decided some things that are important to me as relates to parenting. I know it will be years before these things make an impression on our child, but I have recently discovered how important they are to me and therefore how deeply I desire to live them out for my family.
First of all, there is the obvious one, I want our household to be one that is Biblical. I want to set a good example for my children of how to love Jesus and love each other. I want to know the Bible so that when they come to me with questions I know how to help them find the answers. My parents were always incredibly knowledgeable about Scripture and this was an incredible asset to me, probably more than I understood until very recently.
Also, this might sound weird, but growing up, my parents often asked me to choose my own punishment when I was in trouble. So if I did something wrong they told me to go find that sin in the Bible and read what God said about it and come up with an adequate punishment. I thought this was incredible, because when I was old enough to really get what I was doing it made me see that acting out against my parents was also hurting God. They also occasionally chose not to punish me, and when they did so, they told me it was to illustrate how God is merciful even when we sin and don't deserve it. Which is pretty powerful stuff, even to a teenager.
I also want to set a good example of marriage and family life. I want our house to be a place that is open to visitors and where our kids can feel our love for each other, for them and for our friends and neighbors.
Over the course of middle school and high school, I racked up about 6 or 7 years of French classes. It got to the point that my senior year I was near fluent and could read and write in French. (I actually used to study the Bible sometimes in French because I found the differences in translation really beautiful. French is a great language for describing God's love for us.)
Anyway, the years have gone by and I've lost most of what I knew. But back when I still had it, I decided that I would like to teach my child to be bilingual. This is easiest to do by just speaking to them in another language when they are very young. I don't know if I will still be able to do this, but I am going to try because I think it would be incredible and I'd love for them to have that opportunity.
Next, I want to teach my child to be a good steward. By this I chiefly am referring to two things: money/material possessions and the environment.
I feel like my parents did a very good job of teaching me about money. When I was young they sat me down and showed me with monopoly money how much their paycheck was and where it went every month. When I was older they gave me an allowance from which I was supposed to provide my own things: school supplies and clothes, etc. All of this was great. There is only one thing I would change from my parents education and that is credit. When I was sixteen I got a credit card and ended up with $500 in credit card debt. Now, this was a very inexpensive way for me to learn about credit and I am thankful for this lesson. But given the choice with my own child, I would not allow them to get a credit card. I'd instill in them from the time they were young that any item worth buying is worth saving for. Another thing my parents did that I would do differently is that I never plan to loan my child money for anything. I didn't realize until recently how this had contributed to my idea of "buy now, pay later". My parents were good at educating us about credit card debt, but they loaned me money countless times so I could buy stupid stuff. I don't want to do that for my kid. I would rather occasionally gift them something that they really want (I stress occasionally, if it was regular it would be the same as loaning them things) than set them up to "borrow" things. I also think this is a good example of what Christ does for us: when we are good stewards of what He has given us, He often blesses us with more.
As a side note on this topic, I also want to teach my family the value of taking care of their possessions. I grew up mending my clothes when they tore. Or, if they were not salvageable, I tore them up and made something new until the fabric literally dissolved. I try to use things until they are used up, and I hope to teach my kids to do the same. I want them to be creative with the things they own rather than fall in line with the throwaway culture we live in.
Now, the environment. I believe very strongly that this is another stewardship issue. I don't care about the environment for political reasons, I care because it was God's gift to me and taking good care of it makes it more enjoyable to live in. (Not unlike money and other possessions: good stewardship makes money/possessions a blessing, poor stewardship makes them a curse). I am making a very intentional effort to change my daily habits to be more Earth friendly and more community friendly. I hope that my kids will grow up seeing these things as the norm instead of as optional efforts. That is my goal.
Lastly, I hope from a very early age to teach my children to be independent. I want them to grow up feeling like they are capable of doing things on their own, but that I am here to help them if they need it. For example: my mom taught me to cook, clean and do laundry by making me do it myself starting from grade school. I was responsible for doing my own laundry, cooked dinner for the family once a week, and knew how to do almost every household chore, including fixing things that broke around the house. The only reason I know how to do this stuff now is because I've been learning to do it for ten years. I didn't realize at the time how great this was (I thought it sucked) but I think my husband would agree I am a good cook and decent housekeeper, and I know how to help "fix things" around the house.
Anyway... I could go on and on about all my parenting goals and plans. It is cool to be awakened to all these things and how important they are to me. Some of them I haven't even realized until recently.
The only downside is that it makes me a little anxious. The more excited I am or the more plans I make for my child, the more afraid I am that something will somehow go wrong. I am eagerly anticipating our ultrasound next month for reasons other than I thought I would. I am excited to find out the sex of our baby, but really I just want some assurance that s/he is healthy! (Plus I really think it's a girl)



*DISCLAIMER: all references to multiple children in this post are generalities and in no way reflect my desire to have more kids. I don't know what they are like yet and I'm not totally convinced that one won't be enough for me.