Thanks again to all of you who have been praying for me to get better. I am so much better today, I can't even believe how sick I was yesterday and how much differently I feel today. I kind of wonder if it was food poisoning or something, but anyhow I am thankful that I am better today and even had the energy to keep up with the house, make dinner, and make Guenna some almond milk and carrot/celery/apple juice. I'm hoping that taking her off the formula will help her get rid of her perpetual cold (which is causing her ear infection, and I think it's not gotten better with the antibiotics) :(
Anyway, it was a good day today. I'm starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere with my child-training. Do you ever feel like you have a situation that keeps coming up with one of your children and you feel at a loss as to know how to deal with that child's weakness? We hit those walls often, in fact with each of our children. I guess that is part of God's plan to keep us humble and to keep us coming to Him for help instead of feeling as though we've got it all under control, right? I find myself everyday, standing at the counter, cutting up vegetables or making a sandwich and asking the Father, "please give me wisdom with my son, and with that wisdom please give me the patience to carry out your instruction." I don't always have either. I also don't always ask.
Whining. One of the weaknesses in my children that gets under my skin the most. I've tried everything it seems to teach my children not to whine. I've explained, I've spanked, I've given time out, I've prayed, I've ignored. And yet they still whine daily. But after all this I feel as though I'm getting somewhere with Aidan. Consistency is always the key. So I discipline and then he gets a 5 minute time out in a hard chair facing the wall. If he whines while he's sitting in the chair the timer starts over. I only had to do this a few times today and I'm thinking that it just might work :) Then there is the fighting over who gets to play with what car. So I decided that the cars would take a time out. All of them. We went around the house and bagged up all the cars, and the race track. And I informed them if they argued over any other toy that those toys would also be taken away, it worked! I didn't have to take away any other toys, they did wonderfully after that lessen. Especially since they both love the cars and they are definitely played with all day. So tomorrow we will start fresh, they will be very excited to get their cars out of that stuffy bag and I am hoping that they will be much more careful how they play with them and the words they use with one another. Time will tell right? :) Here's a fun thought, I wonder what God would have to take away from me for whining? :) I'll have to really give that some thought, I'm sure there is plenty that I whine about!
Good night, hope your week is going well!
we are not really big on tv watching, we have drastically cut down in this last year, but a good punishment for my own whining would be to have my grey’s anatomy show taken away. LOL. I am sure God would have something better in mind to take away from me though! River had a whining phase and really, he just had to grow out of it, for him anyways. I disciplined and spanked and did everything I could. The only thing besides time that worked was exactly what you are doing, taking the things away that they are whining about.Because of the age gap in my kids I have not had to deal with the fighting over toys thing. They want what eachother has but he knows his sister is a baby and doesnt know better when she takes things, it’ll come though, I know! Just be sure to reward them when they actually do go all morning without whining! It’ll give them that extra push to go all afternoon too sans the “but mamaaaa’s…” and the “nooooo thats mine’s!”
EVERY child has a “whining phase”, though I will admit some do more whining than others. I think sometimes we expect more of our firstborns, they should be an example to their younger siblings, or we have learned more by the second child and are more willing to extend grace. Or, a little of each! :) And of course there is that thing that each child is a little different (or a LOT different) than his or her siblings! :) I remember getting sooo tired of trying EVERYTHING to help a certain child to curb her frustration level, like you: spanking, talking, ignoring, rewarding good behaviour, whatever I could think of, and the main thing that helped was TIME! Not that she didn’t need the other “incentives”, she just had to get to the point that she really understood what I expected of her, and wanted to do what it took to have a good relationship with me and her siblings! So the magic words are: Love, Patience, Longsuffering…you know the rest!
I’m thanking the Lord right now because you are feeling better. I was really praying for you this evening and was so happy to log on and find my prayers are answered. I also continue to keep praying for a perfect delivery in God’s perfect timing and for a perfect baby to be born.
Love in Christ,
Sue
Dear Jenni, I am so glad to hear you are feeling better! I was really concerned when I read your previous post, and definitely spent some time praying for you…feeling like that in your last month of pregnancy would definitely be no fun at all!
We have certainly had issues with whining from our children too…we discipline, and then we basically don’t give them what they’re asking for till they stop whining for it…which usually works pretty quickly. Praying for you guys!
Catherine