Discipline

Warning: hot topic ahead

Have you ever said or thought, "I don't know why my child asks this way." Well, as parents, who else is the blame on but us. Having a toddler makes this topic all the more prevalent to me. Now is the time to shape my daughter's behavior & attitude. Now is the time to tune her heart to the Lord's and show her what it means to live out Christ's love.

Here is an excerpt from my devotional:

Discipline begins with a parent’s willingness to spend time and energy to shape attitudes and behaviors. Love sets boundaries so that a child knows what is good and bad, what he or she is free to do and not free to do. Discipline involves punishment, because sometimes people learn best through pain. It isn’t simply punishment though; it is a process in which you help to shape a person’s attitudes and values and behavior to reflect God’s ways. 

Verse:

Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul. (Proverbs 29:17 NASB)

or

Correct your children whenever they are wrong. Then you will always be proud of them. They will never make you ashamed. (Proverbs 29:17 ERV)

Discipline is not wrong. There are many ways to go about it (not going to get into that), but it needs to happen. Discipline needs to be consistent. Correcting your child's behavior or attitude is as much to your benefit as it is to theirs. (See the verse above)

Loving your child means correcting them.  If you want to have the next generation be loving, kind, "good citizens", then be sure to raise your children as such. Correct them (discipline, when necessary) when they are treating someone poorly or having a bad attitude. That shows them just as much love as when you give them the hugs & kisses they deserve as well.

Driveway Education

It's been some time since my last post. Sorry about that. I needed a little break. Now I'm back with a great idea for preschool even early education parents & teachers.

What 2 year old doesn't love sidewalk chalk? Ok, well, Katie doesn't always LOVE sidewalk chalk. Sometimes I end up doing more of the drawing than she does. On one such occasion, I decided to make my drawings a bit of an educational time. Katie thought it was just a game, perfect!

Let me describe our "game": I drew shapes and letters Katie knew on the driveway as you can see. She was excited to name each thing as I drew it. Once I felt we had enough shapes and letters on the driveway, I would tell Katie to stand on the square or the K, etc. Surprisingly, this "game" lasted a long time, as in more than 2 minutes.  My plan is to add letters, shapes, and numbers as Katie learns them. Maybe add a new letter or shape for her to learn as we play our game.

Any other great ideas like this for some driveway education?