On holiday

We are away for the first time as a family of five, and I have to say I am loving it!  Sarah, at 8 weeks, is continuing to be happy and contented, feeding and sleeping well, and being so smiley when she's awake!  Benjamin is being potty trained and so far so good, he's really getting the hang of it, even though we are only 3 days in.  And Ruth is growing into the most beautiful young lady right before my eyes, I can't quite believe it.

Would love to write more, but am needed by my smallest baby girl :)

Comments

Amy K said…
Hi Di, I'm just writing to respond to your comment about the strong-willed child. I can relate. My second daughter is very strong-willed and also very selfish. She also tends to overreact to things, especially discipline. I have really appreciated the book Give Them Grace (by Elyse Fitzpatrick) and feel that it has a biblical perspective. Since reading it, I have been disciplining about the same consistency but I'm doing it in a slightly different way, focusing more on my child's need for Christ than the fact that my child is not following "the rules," trying to be more empathetic and encouraging, telling my daughter Clara that obedience and kindness are difficult and that as she grows in Christ more, He will help her. I feel like these subtle changes have really helped our relationship. She has given me several spontaneous hugs this week, which is something she hasn't done for a long time. One of the most convicting things I have been thinking about: Would I rather have a perfect child or a child who understands their need for a savior?

If I weren't such a busy mom these days (and tired and sleeping late because of this pregnancy!), then I would have posted my review by now. But I promise I will give a full review soon. :)

I also think you mentioned that you feel Grace-based parenting books sometimes fall short of being practical, or something like that. I agree. Theory is fine and well but when you are in the middle of battling it out with your kids and you are discouraged by their lack of character growth, I think concrete guidance is important. I still have a few chapters left of Give Them Grace but there is an appendix in the back that helps guide parents in what to say to their children to train them when children need help in certain common areas, like "lying," "disobeying," "provoking others," etc., etc. So, I think this book is a lot more helpful than other grace-based parenting books.

Hope this helps! And I wish you the best as you are in the trenches with your kids. We model God's love and keeping His commandments but ultimately it's all of Him and He is in control. That gives me peace. Hope things go well for you.

Amy
02:43
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