Why are Discipline and Teaching Self Control such Important lessons for Toddlers and Preschoolers

My friend Bethany (a fellow homeschooling & JA mom) from Harts for Him posted a wonderful blog post this morning about discipline and following through with your younger children. This post hit home with me, especially right now as we have just returned from our biggest trip as a Family of Five.

 

This past weekend we attended the Juvenile Arthritis Conference in Keystone, Colorado. This conference was such a great experience for our family but it was also overwhelming and exhausting at times. I will write another post with more details about our experience at conference.

Having children, especially young ones, is such a rewarding thing but let’s be honest it is tiring. Add in late nights, early mornings, first flights, a 2hr time change, E's separation anxiety & aches due to elevation change, numerous bumps & bruises (plus a puncture wound to the head), and you have yourself a chaotic household.  Thankfully Matt & I have gotten used to the Chaos and are able to see all the positives of this trip and the importance of raising our family. Honestly though, there were times when I thought "Seriously! Just one more thing...". Most of those moments were set in motion by the Cailyn trying to run off because she is Miss Independent, one of them unbuckling and escaping a stroller which meant all of our luggage fell to the ground,  or carrying a child almost the entire walk to the conference center because they refused to use the stroller in the beginning so we left it behind in the condo.

Our Carry Ons: 4 Duffle bags, 3 backpacks, and a Purse.
If a child moved, the entire system was ruined.

These are moments that every single parent experiences but the difference is how we view these moments and what we do about them. Typically if Matt or I are at our breaking point due to having a bad day or exhaustion, the other will step in to remind each other that "they are just being kids" or "Yes, lets deal with this issue but we need to address it calmly".
Does it always work? No. Are we always as calm as we should be? No. Are we perfect in the way we discipline and Parent? No.  But it works for us and we are hopeful that it will help the kids learn self control as they grow older. Thank you GOD for patience and for allowing us to be on the same page when it comes to parenting.

We have an older daughter, age 7, who listens, has great manners, and behaves well for her age. Yes, like any growing and learning child, she has her moments but we enjoy our adventures with her because she listens, stays with us in crowds, and is happy to help (as shown in the picture above where she is carrying her backpack and holding a stroller). Most of this behavior is due to her personality but we like to think that part of it is due to the way we are raising her.
It’s a different ball game this go around because the younger two are very close in age and they are both more adventurous than Azilee was at their current ages. We are learning together how to parent children differently within the same family. Its a fine line to parent based on each child's personalities yet find a balance so its all some what fair in the end. Yes, I know Life isn't fair but you know what I mean.

Bethany’s post was a good reminder that sticking to our word with younger children will help us enjoy our children during the years to come because they will know how to behave and understand why we have certain rules in our family.