Think Before You Say It.

Parenting Blog: one of the top tips I can give any parent is this.... Think before you say it and stick to it when it’s tested. That sounds easy but it is not! One of the biggest surprises as a parent for me, was how hard it was to discipline my kids. Sometimes it was easy...but most of the time it was heartbreaking! Consistency was hard. Parenting cannot be lazy. I learned very quickly not to make half hearted rules because I would have to stand behind those rules when they were broken. I knew “trust” was essential when it came to the parent/child relationship. They would have to know that if I said, I meant it. So there was no doubt that if I said “sit down or you’re going to get a spanking” or “stop throwing that ball or you’re going in Time Out”, I would have to back up that threat or I would be teaching my children that they could not trust my word. This trust would become essential as they grew up and bigger tests came their way. So it is so important that you prayerfully think before you put a rule in place. Never threaten something that you are not willing to back up. Don’t create so many rules that you frustrate the child. Don’t keep changing the rules either, it creates a hopelessness in them which will make them give up even trying.

Here is one rule of thumb that I used when creating rules. Mistake versus disobedience. The child is throwing a ball and knocks over a lamp and it breaks. How do you respond? It depends on whether or not I just said don’t throw the ball. It’s not the broken lamp that is causing the discipline... it is the disobedience. I never wanted my children to think that a lamp or household item was more valuable than they were. They understood if they were getting reprimanded for breaking something in the home it was for the disobedience in the action not the value of the object that caused it. This was huge. I believe this is why my children are confident and have a deep understanding of the importance of obedience. I believe this also helps them as they follow Christ. WHAT TIP WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW PARENT? Comment below. #parentingtips #parentingisntforsisies #singleparentstruggles