I mentioned that "consistency, not only in my discipline, but in my attitude" is one thing that is tremendously going to help get Zeke through this. Here are a couple of things that have helped me keep my cool during those red-hot moments...
1- Give yourself a time-out : thus the title of this blog series=) Just take a minute to cool off.
2- Pray out-loud for the situation in front of the child: that way they can hear that God is your sustainer and provider when you don't quite know what to do
3- Discipline with scripture - Josh and I have always had a Family Devotion at bedtime with the kids but we have been challenged to be more structured in this special time by our friends Fred and Lindsey Broome as they strive to learn what works best for them and their Family Devotion Times. We have just recently started memorizing Bible verses with our children. Yes, even Zeke can recite all 4 of our verses so far, with singing and motions too=) Not only is this good to get them in the habit of hiding God's word in their heart, but it helps me when I am disciplining. It puts personal application to the verse "Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right" when they already KNOW that God expects this from them.
I also wanted to thank all of you for your kind words of encouragement during this time and for the GREAT ideas and advice you've given us. We now have several options that can help get us through this phase.
3 comments:
Tasha, believe it or not (I know its hard right now) but these terrible twos will soon turn into terrific twos. You and Josh will be able to see how your consistency in discipline has paid off. I am so proud of the two of you and also want to remind you of the "woodstove story". Remember I cried myself to see that night believing that Rick and I were raising two juvenile deliquents. However, what amazing men of God they are today. Don't you agree?
Tasha,
Thanks for your post. We have learned with our 3 yr old Micah that consistency pays off. The boys have wonderful godparents who held our hands during the baby/toddler years in teaching us how to discipline in a godly manner. Thank the Lord because we had no idea what we were doing...still don't most days! We do see a difference in Micah, though, since we have been consistent not only in disciplining, but in the way we discipline. He responds better to us when he knows what consequences to expect each and every time. It's difficult...especially with a 1 yr old who is turning out to have quite the temper! But it's rewarding as well. Micah has the sweetest, most tender heart. Thank you for your post. It has been a trying week for me. Even after the terrible twos...some days, some weeks are still really hard. I have been losing my temper way too much lately due to other stressors in my life. Thanks for your ideas about praying in front of them about the struggles and about taking a time out! I want to be a parent who can handle bad behavior with a level head...not a steaming one!!!
Oh, and by the way...that book The Strong Willed Child is excellent. (Yes, Micah is my strong willed child!) So is Dare to Discipline. Dobson is amazing!
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