Discipline?
my baby boy is 6 1/2 months old. he has his first tooth. he sits up a little until he falls and hits his head. he also recently developed a will. i've cried more in the last 2 weeks than i have since i lived in holland. teaching him not to whine and have a tantrum when he wants something doesn't seem to be working. i feel like this came on too fast. i thought i had another few months. while he was mad crying in his bed tonight i thought "I wonder if God cries and feels angry and thinks, 'I just want to snuggle and love on them. They're making it hard on themselves and it kills me, but when they keep stubornly raging, I have no choice but to discipline them because that's what a good dad does'."
posted by karen at 9:51 PM
4 Comments:
Oh the joy! Thank you for this post. It is refreshing to hear your authenticity and humility. Isn't it amazing how God uses our weakest moments with our children and their most irrational ridiculicity (yes I made that word up, Jared)to show us how amazing his love for us is?
We do have news for you, though. What your are describing does not stop. When you conquer one thing another problem area arises. It's the adventure of discipleship. It is hard and frustrating, but it is the most rewarding thing you will ever do - to train him in righteousness.
Give us a call when you are at your wits end. We can share stories!
12:43 AM
oh karen, i am so sorry, i know it's heart breaking. There is nothing in the world we would rather do than totally protect our children from everything and anything. I've been having similar troubles when I leave Sienna in childcare at the YMCA. As soon as we get close my stomach knots up and I get all nervous. Then when I leave she cries and when I come back someone is holding her because she'd cry every time she got put down. Now I know that there's no bodily harm done and she's fine but it is SO hard to hear her cry and know that she was distressed. I think that while it doesn't stop it does get better, you get used to it and soon a tantrum is totally hilarious instead of heartbreaking (Sienna throws mini tantrums every so often at home when she wants something, like a knife, that i won't let her have).
12:58 PM
I called Holly VanWeiren a while back, crying about how I was having difficulty with Cadence. She told me, empathetically but also noting the truth of the situation, "Simone, little kids = little problems. Big kids = big problems." It didnt think that was very helpful. Now months have passed and I think about it... I am trying not to get anxious and stressed about the boys little problems that cause me to be upset, but realizing that this is practice time for ME... as when the big problems hit, my reaction and howI handle each siuation will make or
break the situation. I was humbled when Cadence told me the other week, "Mommy, dont get so angry!" THey are so little, but so darn smart and so stinckin perseptive.
9:59 AM
thanks guys :) we found out today that on top of teething ethanael has an ear infection and needs breathing treatments for his rattley chest. poor baby. ben when you wrote you had news i thought it was an announcement for number three :) and simone i hear that if you handle the little problems you're less likely to have the big problems - i don't think that's a gospel promise, but it's tempting to hold on to.
9:46 PM
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