Monday, April 10, 2006

The Redhead Kayla

Kayla is definitely a redhead. We are teaching her that she doesn’t get what she wants all the time. Just because she cries when we firmly say no, doesn’t mean that she gets it. Amazingly enough, she usually stops crying pretty quickly when she realizes that this crying business is getting her nowhere. Tanya and I know that we cannot absolutely control her crying and wailing around. Have you ever tried to get a 14 month old to stop doing it. She will do it regardless of how many times we spank her. What we can control, however, is where she does this. So, we are teaching her that if she acts this way, she must do so in her room. We will not allow it in our presence...and this is well within our control.

This morning she wanted an egg that was on the table. (We are collecting the eggs for the easter egg hunt at the church this coming Sunday.) She has plenty of eggs with her toys, so I would not allow her to get the ones on the table. I said, “No! If you want eggs, then you can go get your own over there!” pointing to her toy area. Well, she immediately started wailing like the drama queen she is. I got up from my chair, told her that she can do that, but she has to go to her room. I grabbed her hand and we walked to her room. We hadn’t walked 10 feet before she had stopped crying. She got to her room and enjoyed some time getting in and out of the rocking chair. It is crazy how we can guide her thinking at such a young age. She thinks the world is going to end when she doesn’t get this egg she wants right now. She can see nothing else but fulfilling her all-consuming selfish desire in that moment, but then I show her that the world is still here and that she can behave in a better way...then she (most of the time) calms down. Fourteen month olds can understand a tremendous amount more than we give them credit for.

Lord, guide us as we continue to learn to be better parents.

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