The Routine. The Ordinary. The Repetitive.
Those things that have to be done day after day.
All of us have those routines. Some of them are small
routines, like brushing our teeth, combing our hair, and locking the door when
we leave. Others are more challenging. Reading the Bible, exercising, and
washing the dishes are all good things we should do every day (or at least most days), but they aren’t
so small or so easy.
In our home, I’ve found the most challenging of routines involve
parenting Rooster. I know it’s important to establish healthy habits in his
life now so that when he is older those things come naturally, but knowing the
right thing and doing it are very different.
We have several routines we try to consistently practice in
our house. Things like:
- Blanket time in which we practice sitting still and playing independently
- Picking up our toys before naptime and mealtimes so that we don’t have a constantly messy house.
- Always eating at the table and not walking around the house with a sippy cup.
- And most importantly, teaching obedience by correcting misbehavior Every. Single. Time.
These are things we
need to do every day, often multiple times a day.
But it’s hard.
Some days I simply
forget. Other days I choose to let those things fall by the wayside. I lay
Rooster down at night and trip over toys as I try to sneak out of his room. I
find sippy cups of milk curdling under the bed (so much for staying in the kitchen) and twice now I’ve found shoes
in the toilet (an unsupervised child is
an undisciplined child).
More often than not, my good intentions become like words in the sand washed away by the crashing
waves of laziness (there I said it! I’m
lazy!). I let myself become complacent, and the consistent routines I
desperately desire to achieve simply become ideals with no bearing on our
behavior as a family.
I’m not okay with that.
I believe consistent routines are the heartbeat of
parenting. We communicate values and instill character by repeatedly sending
the same message about what’s important and, consequently, what’s not. The lessons that we drive home day after
day will have a lasting impact on the lives of our children and our family.
You may think that I’m exaggerating the importance of those
small things like picking up our toys, but the habits I teach my one-year old
will directly impact his behavior when he’s two, then three, and so on. Those
small things have a big impact on our family life (and my mental health).
Of course, it’s easy to lose sight of this as parent. Many
times in the past year I've given in to the “just this one time” mentality. It
won’t hurt for me to take the easy way out just this one time. The problem
occurs when one time becomes one time too many and the easy way leads to
behavior that’s not so easy to deal with.
Now, I’m a big believer in flexibility. You can’t always
stick to a schedule, and you need to be able to readjust when things don’t go
according to plan, but laziness and intentional forgetfulness aren’t
flexibility. They’re bad habits and definitely not so good for parenting.
So what’s a tired,
frazzled mother to do? Decide what’s
important and stick to it.
Even when you’re exhausted and cranky and hungry and really just want to use the bathroom in peace? Yep, even then!
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Ever had that kind of day? Bad hair and hanging on for dear life? |
Because really, those small parenting decisions like the way
you handle a screaming toddler or keeping toys picked up are really only beneficial if they become a way of life, hopefully a life
characterized by good habits and healthy discipline.
So next time you’re tempted to let your child “get away”
with something, just remember: If you give an inch they’ll take a mile…and probably
run screaming with it down the aisle at Wal-Mart.
Linking up at WholeHearted Home
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting from the our simple country life hop, and can appreciate your challenge. Mine were once younger, and when you're weary, just remember the words of Hebrews 12:11, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. You really don't want to be that Wal-mart mama...LOL
Enjoyed your post, and visiting. I'm your newest follower; perhaps you'll stop by sometime.
Peace and good to you.
Katherine, again, I enjoyed your post as you walked me down memory lane (for me) and reality (for you) as you live out each day with your toddler. Be as diligent as you can during these years because it is much easier for an obedient child to choose to follow the Lord Jesus Christ as one who chooses over and over again not to obey. Children can be taught to obey and only obey on the outside as eventually they must also make the choice as to Whom they will serve!! Blessings. And, thanks so very much for linking up over at WholeHearted Home this week. Hope to see you again next week as it is the best way to get me to read your blog :-) as I read my linkup ladies' posts before indulging further :-)
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