As4Me

Sometimes I think dealing with crying is one of the biggest challenges for a mom of an infant. It takes a good deal of wisdom to know how to respond. What is good advice for a 15 month old isn’t always good advice for a 2 week old. Sometimes it’s appropriate to let a baby [...]

Popularity: 34% [?]

I don’t have all the answers. That’s why I don’t typically write how-to post titles (and when I do they’re often tongue in cheek). But it’s easy to forget about what I’m doing with Laurel, especially as my middle child grows in her ability to understand and use language (although I still have mindbogglingly [...]

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When I taught school, I occasionally had a student who thought I didn’t like him or her. Sometimes this conclusion was more or less correct, but what was always true in these cases was that I found myself smiling at those students significantly less than with other students. I needed to deliberately smile at these [...]

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Of course, there are the non-helpful things that I didn’t include, like Stop crying or Let mommy finish this on the computer. And I didn’t put any specific praise comments, although I hope (and think) that I say these repeatedly, too. I don’t remember those words, but these are the things I’ve been saying more [...]

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Is there such a thing as legitimate crying for something? We hear much about not catering to children’s selfish demands. We know whining is unacceptable behavior, and the Bible forbids it anyway (Philippians 2:14). So should children ever be allowed to cry for what they want? Should you ever pick up a crying baby? I [...]

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I’ve learned a lot about teaching a child to use the potty.

I need to have the right motives (not because I’m embarrassed or want to look good): Proverbs 29:25
I need to be patient and not angry (when it appears that my child doesn’t care) Galatians 5:22-23, I Corinthians 13
My last lesson has been understanding the [...]

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This next week Lee is off every day except Wednesday. The base commander declared it a holiday week for all military members. We’re still talking about what we will do, although the second half of the week Lee’s grandpa and aunt are coming for a visit.
I’m enlisting Lee’s help in several child-rearing goals. I’m scatterbrained [...]

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I’m thinking that perhaps in my rush for results, I’m trying to teach repentance when I need to teach a few other things first.
Yesterday while the girls were napping and David resting, I spent quite a bit of time reading Psalm 51. And then this morning I was reading Romans 2 [...]

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In spite of my recognition that my children needed to learn repentance, and my desire to teach it, I haven’t taken the time to study on the matter.
Last night Lee had some work to do, so instead of pulling out a good book, the Lord gave me the grace to get started on studying repentance. [...]

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Bethel, was pushing your brother kind?
No.
Was pushing your brother glorifying God?
[brightly] Yes.
No. It does not glorify God when we are unkind. What should you say to your brother?
Yes, ma’am.
No, what should you say when you are unkind?
Please stop.
No. You should say, “Please forgive me for being unkind.”
Forgive me for being unkind.
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Popularity: 13% [?]