As4Me

Lee’s mom and dad hit a deer on their way to New Mexico for Thanksgiving. They were unhurt, but their car was totaled, and it was cost and time prohibitive to come here after that. You might think, based on the reactions from our children, that it wasn’t that big of a deal.
However, last night, [...]

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What if your children never saw you cry? Would that be a good thing? More importantly, what if they never saw what to do when mom is sick or sad or afraid?
Children don’t tend to like tears. They don’t like being reminded that they are vulnerable. And when their rock– mom and dad– appears unstable, [...]

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Several weeks back, I posted about a tantrum experience, and I’m still thinking about it.

I started out wondering, Can I stay, “Stop being angry”? Is that the same as saying “Stop being happy”? Historically, I’ve focused on the outward manifestation, basically allowing anger, but not allowing kicking, throwing, screaming, and so on. I have said “Do [...]

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The other day, Laurel was as angry as I have ever seen her. It’s always good to examine big situations after the fact; perhaps I’ll improve in responding biblically.
She was happily playing and asked for a particular song to be put on, and when I put it on, she changed her mind and demanded that [...]

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Today my dear friend Kelly came over. She has three daughters who are delightful. Her oldest is passionate and intense, and the most spiritually sensitive child I have ever seen. She also has a temper. Kelly and I have talked about discipline and parenting as long as we’ve known each other. I know Kelly’s heart [...]

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I was blindsided.
Laurel has not been attached to a blanket for months. She has a fuzzy blanket that she has used in the past, but she hasn’t used it in several weeks, and has never appeared emotionally attached to the blanket.
When Laurel and Bethel asked for a blanket, I first suggested the fuzzy blanket to [...]

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Bethel stayed up with me until 9:30 tonight. She’s a night owl, and lately, she’s been begging for some mom time. OF course, I didn’t know that’s what she’s been wanting. I tend to be a little dense, sometimes. She’s been irritating and obnoxious, hitting the dog, and begging for a “just with me” tea [...]

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I feel rather foolish posting that I’m still finding the whining and screaming a challenge.
I’ve been stopping their whining and then requiring them to say what they want in a sweet tone, but that hasn’t seemed to diminish the actual amount of whining that happens.

Part of the problem with both Bethel and Laurel is that [...]

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I’ve forgotten to mention something we’ve talked about recently with our children at odd moments when talking about selfishness and anger. It’s a response that even Laurel (age 2) can understand.
“Are you happy right now?”
I’ve found that, unlike other probing questions I might try, this question they understand and know the answer for. Immediately. They [...]

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I’ve noticed sometimes when Bethel is in trouble, she starts to laugh. Sometimes, for example, she has laughed when I’m telling her that what she’s doing makes her mommy sad, and God sad.
This is somewhat disconcerting. My first reaction is irritation. It’s obviously rebellious behavior, right? I’ve responded somewhat harshly, “This is not funny. It’s [...]

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