"Some" in moderation

Do you ever just want to pick up and take your children to a place where you can shield them from all of life's influences?! Sometimes this seems like the only option if we want them raised the way that we feel is best. Even the "good" things in life can become bad if done in excess...

Too much TV
Too much food (not that I don't want to feed my children all they want, but sometimes just having what we "need" needs to be enough)
Too much stimulation from toys, video games, technology...

We don't want them to be raised by getting everything they want, we believe this sets them up for failure and over indulgence later on in life.

We have come to the conclusion that, of course, we can't and shouldn't go move into the middle of no-where just to help give our children what we believe is a good foundation for life.

Something my dad has said often, "everything in moderation" has stuck with me and has become what we are trying to keep as a rule in our household.

Yes, I like chocolate chip cookies, but no I don't need 10 of them and neither do our kids.

Yes, I like movies, but no I don't need to watch them all day, and neither do our kids...not to mention most movies today aren't wholesome, let alone "clean."

Yes, I like(okay, love) computers, but no I don't need to be on them all day long, and neither do our kids.

If I  struggle with these things, I know my kids will and have already seen how much of an addictive personality my oldest has.

..."everything in moderation"...But ya know what? We don't really need "everything". Sometimes it just needs to be "some" of "everything" in this life because even moderate amounts of some things can be destructive.

I hate having to say "no" to things or people for that matter when it comes to my children, but I am finding myself having to do that more and more. How do you explain to people that when you say "no" it isn't personal, or when you chose one thing over what is considered the "norm" in society, that it is just the best decision for our family. Okay, well maybe I said it right there, "it is just the best decision for our family"...but that is still hard to say without hurting feelings.

But the truth of the matter is, My husband and I, and only us, are responsible for how we raise our children. In the end WE are responsible to our children and to our Lord.

If addicted to anything, we want our children to be addicted to God and serving His Kingdom. Something I believe each of us crave(God) without realizing it, but fill it with all of life's "stuff" (I do this all the time). But let's face it, it's hard to push out all the stuff...it's something we struggle with each day. But we keep pressing on and keep trying to live a "some in moderation" type of life style.