As heartbreaking as it was, we stuck to our guns and our gorgeous 3yo went to bed without his favourite bear for the first time. We knew we had to follow through with our threat to take him away but so hoped it wouldn't be necessary! A did eventually calm down and sleep through the night and when he woke up the next morning the first thing he did was apologise for shouting, and he has been good as gold ever since! He has been particularly sensitive to how we feel, he knew that it really upset us to see him so upset and also the way he was behaving towards us and he has been polite and thoughtful all week. The odd and thankfully occasion where he has started to look like he may throw a wobbly we have been able to quickly distract him and by remaining calm, consistent and not reacting to his demands the situation has been dissolved easily.
There are never any easy options when disciplining children, the Bible tells us "Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives. "(Proverbs 19:18 NLT) and "Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them." (Proverbs 13:24 NLT)
I know that discipline comes in many different forms and I know that every child is a unique individual who will require a unique approach. For our spirited 3 year old we need to show him how to control his feelings and emotions by controlling ours, and this is something that is a continual learning process for all of us. We can learn so much by the way that our awesome Heavenly Father parents us as his children - with unconditional love, grace and forgiveness accompanied by gentle conviction and rebuking. I know that there will be many more tantrums and tough times ahead, especially with the addition of a second child to our family unit, however right now I am so thankful to God for my beautiful, clever little boy and that we have had an amazing week together. Long may these happy days continue!
No comments:
Post a Comment