This afternoon when I was putting the boys down for their naps, Stephen was trying every which way to get out of calming down and resting. I was getting frustrated with him, but kept thinking about how Dr. Dobson just said on one of his broadcasts recently that anger doesn't motivate the child. Action does. So I told him that I was going to put Christopher down and then I'd come back and check on him again. He asked me so sincerely, "Mommy, will you sleep in my bed with me?" I didn't really have time for that, but I told him I would decide that when I came back and saw how he was behaving.
Well, I put Christopher down, came back about 10 minutes later to check on Stephen and he was laying there, almost asleep. He did something magnetic that just pulled me right over to his bed! He looked at me and smiled. I came over, lowered myself on the bed and promised myself that I would just stay until he fell asleep (HA! I should have known better!). As soon as my head hit the pillow, Stephen reached out and grabbed my hand. We both looked at each other, I winked, he smiled, and then we both fell asleep.
Yes, this time the nap solution was not anger and frustration in trying to get Stephen to settle down! This time I realized that my actions were the motivator for him! He just wanted me to be next to him! I wish that I had more time to devote undivided attention to each boy! Christopher came with me to the store this morning and he was in his glory! He was soaking up all the Mommy attention that he could get! Stephen wanted nothing more than to snuggle up with me at nap time. Timothy just wanted to stand next to me while I was getting lunch ready.
Some days I wish I could just be a nanny to my kids instead of also having to cook and clean and do everything else that mothers do. Thankfully, the Lord has been teaching me little ways to get my work done at times that the boys don't need me so that when they do, I can drop whatever I'm working on and be with them. It doesn't always work (or should I say that I don't always choose the right things to do), but I've noticed that when I let my actions show them that they are important, we have so much more peace in our home.
My lesson for today was realizing that today's nap solution is what I want to practice more often with the boys. I want to let my actions show them that I love them. Love draws us to obedience. God shows us this through His example, and it works! God's actions of loving me and caring for me are true motivators for me to obey Him. This principle works with kids, too! It takes me awhile to figure these things out, but I'm glad that God is patient with me. May I be that patient with my own children as they slowly figure these things out, too!!
Well, I put Christopher down, came back about 10 minutes later to check on Stephen and he was laying there, almost asleep. He did something magnetic that just pulled me right over to his bed! He looked at me and smiled. I came over, lowered myself on the bed and promised myself that I would just stay until he fell asleep (HA! I should have known better!). As soon as my head hit the pillow, Stephen reached out and grabbed my hand. We both looked at each other, I winked, he smiled, and then we both fell asleep.
Yes, this time the nap solution was not anger and frustration in trying to get Stephen to settle down! This time I realized that my actions were the motivator for him! He just wanted me to be next to him! I wish that I had more time to devote undivided attention to each boy! Christopher came with me to the store this morning and he was in his glory! He was soaking up all the Mommy attention that he could get! Stephen wanted nothing more than to snuggle up with me at nap time. Timothy just wanted to stand next to me while I was getting lunch ready.
Some days I wish I could just be a nanny to my kids instead of also having to cook and clean and do everything else that mothers do. Thankfully, the Lord has been teaching me little ways to get my work done at times that the boys don't need me so that when they do, I can drop whatever I'm working on and be with them. It doesn't always work (or should I say that I don't always choose the right things to do), but I've noticed that when I let my actions show them that they are important, we have so much more peace in our home.
My lesson for today was realizing that today's nap solution is what I want to practice more often with the boys. I want to let my actions show them that I love them. Love draws us to obedience. God shows us this through His example, and it works! God's actions of loving me and caring for me are true motivators for me to obey Him. This principle works with kids, too! It takes me awhile to figure these things out, but I'm glad that God is patient with me. May I be that patient with my own children as they slowly figure these things out, too!!
No comments:
Post a Comment