Giving directions in the negative form (what not to do) can even be confusing for adults, not to mention a small child with limited cognitive abilities. Instead, say what you want to see. To encourage our young children to cooperate (or “listen”), our words must clearly communicate exactly what it is we want from them.Continue reading “Stop Telling Children What Not to Do.”
Tag Archives: parenting
Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina
Borrow 👍 A great journey through the scientific discoveries on brain development and the essential elements parents should keep in mind during the first 5 years of their child’s life- not just the diaper days. This book would have earned my highest honor of “Buy” had it not endorsed swift punishments and consequences- surprisingly, TheContinue reading “Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina”
The Easiest Parenting Tool You’re Not Using
This easy switch lands itself in my Top 3 Tools Every Parent Needs list. Check it out: “I know you want to keep playing, and it’s time for bed.” Did you catch that? The and instead of but? This simple change is not some magic parenting hack to get your children to listen to you—notContinue reading “The Easiest Parenting Tool You’re Not Using”
“Mom, Do I Have to go to Church!?”
“For it is throughist regular church attendance that ye shall be saved.” Oh shoot- that’s not in Bible? How about, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so noneContinue reading ““Mom, Do I Have to go to Church!?””
Parenting – Getting It Right by Andy & Sandra Stanley
Pass ❌ Except for a handful of gems here and there, this book mainly consists of anecdotes from Andy and Sandra’s childhoods and their experiences as parents. I’ll spare you story-time with the Stanleys and share with you some key takeaways from the book. A couple issues I had with the book: One issue wasContinue reading “Parenting – Getting It Right by Andy & Sandra Stanley”
“I Have to Spank my Toddler to Teach Her Not to Run Into the Street.”
No you don’t. A young child cannot be held accountable for their own safety. It is an unreasonable assumption to expect a child to choose to avoid danger or to reliably comply with verbal instructions when safety is on the line. For instance, if a young child were to be struck by a car, theContinue reading ““I Have to Spank my Toddler to Teach Her Not to Run Into the Street.””
Grace Colored Glasses
Undeserved grace invites lasting heart change. When your child exhibits undesirable behavior, instead of spewing out blame and shame, try viewing the situation through a lens of grace. Pause and choose to look for the most positive, perhaps even generous, explanation of your child’s behavior to avoid making parenting choices based in the worst-case scenario.Continue reading “Grace Colored Glasses”
Rehoboam: The Foolish Son of Solomon.
According to popular Christian parenting, one would think Solomon “wrote the book” on Biblical discipline. Some Christian parents act like Proverbs (written mostly by Solomon) provides a God-ordained parenting method that will lead our young children to heart change. Surely when Solomon used the rod of discipline to drive out foolishness (Prov 22:15) from theContinue reading “Rehoboam: The Foolish Son of Solomon.”
A Matter of the Heart
“Jesus brought grace & mercy as His methods and message for a reason” L.R. Knost. We long for our children to accept the saving faith of Jesus Christ. In our attempts to stack the odds we put a lot of effort into sowing seeds of God’s Word, like those Jesus talked about in the ParableContinue reading “A Matter of the Heart”
Part 2: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child
The Book of Proverbs is not divine commands to obey, nor promises to claim. Those who claim spanking is Biblical are in fact going outside the concrete (or specific) words in Scripture by making a number of changes; age limits, severity, location, and instrument, to name a few. These positive changes represent growth in theContinue reading “Part 2: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child”
Part 1: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.
This is a quote from an erotic poem entitled, “Hudibras” and written by Samuel Butler in 1663. “Spare the rod, spoil the child’ is not a verse in the Bible. Let us commit to studying scripture so we can better identify half-truths such as this. I call this a half truth because there are versesContinue reading “Part 1: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.”
Feelings: Don’t fight them. Don’t feed them.
Feelings are neither good nor bad. They just are. We know we shouldn’t suppress and stuff our feelings down, but how do we do that without getting stuck in them? So glad you asked: Practice to observe and describe what you are feeling. When you first have a feeling that catches your attention, a flickerContinue reading “Feelings: Don’t fight them. Don’t feed them.”
Resources for Christian Discipline 