Jean Stockdale...

Monday Morning Manna for Moms #15-No, No, No!

 Baby Grayson stopped by for a visit. As he walked into my kitchen, my baby grand-who is currently 18 months old-pointed his chubby finger to the electrical outlet and firmly said, "No. No. No. No." He moved quickly to the coffee pot and again he said, "No. No. No." The cable outlet and again with the, "No. No. No. No." All the way through the downstairs, Grayson walked with determination, identifying the problem areas for an 18 month old and saying, "No."

Grayson was demonstrating a very important part of good parenting. Way to go, Dawson and Kathryn. He is learning to self-discipline himself. He becoming able to identify those things he should not do. And letting me know that he is aware of the temptation to touch but is refusing to give into it.

Teaching a child to activate self-control is important. We often fall into the trap of getting our child to control his behavior by strictly adhering to a list of external rules, rather than learning the life skills of learning how to access and activate internal controls. Ultimately for the Christian mom, the goal it to move your child from your total control (newborn to about age 6) to self-control (usually from 6-12 years of age when the spirit is awakening to the call of Jesus Christ) to the Holy Spirit's control. 

So moms, make a point to help your child learn the life skill of self-control. It will serve him/her well for the rest of his/her life.

The Ways of Her Household

Proverbs 31:27 says, "She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness." In the ongoing effort to become a virtuous woman I am going to begin sharing mothering tips, both practical and profound. As I come across a great tip for "training up a child in the way he/she should go" I will be sharing. With you. My bloggy friends.

From toddlers to teens to turning 'em loose, I will be passing along some great ideas for "looking well to the way of your household" and raise up some good and godly kiddos!

My friend, Wendy, has 4 little ones under 5 and is a wonderful mommy. She wrote a great post on organizing her little people. Read about it here. She has lots of great ideas and tips for managing a busy household. Stop by and visit with her. You will be blessed.