I notice Jada smiling and laughing more, yet she is a serious soul like her dad. Her personality is bright, beautiful, and sassy. She enjoys animals more than any toy or food. She no longer is satisfied with just walking and feels the need to jump in place or jog everywhere. Watching our girl become her own person is like dessert for Kelven and me. And then there is the cramping and bloating after dessert...
Every stage brings two new developments, an impressive milestone and a shocking new discipline/learning issue. Parenting can be so confusing.
Is she too young to know that screaming for EVERYTHING is not the answer?
How do I keep my patience and understanding? She is not misbehaving on purpose. It is our responsibility to teach her how to calm down, share, or make good decisions. Can you tell she is thinking about a temper tantrum here?
Every child is different and deserves discipline that suits their personality and encourages growth. I know books can only give you advice and then as parents you determine your discipline (which means to teach and not to punish!). I constantly wonder if I'm too leanient and if Kelven expects too much too early. This is the first time we've really had to sit down and discuss what we should (consistently) do to help Jada learn that she does not need to scream if we ask her to stop, or if she's done eating, or if her juice isn't ready yet, or if she is mad that her stroller is stuck in between the carpet and couch...you get the idea. I am proud of the way Kelven and I have united. My husband's support strengthens my faith and confidence as a parent. I am very lucky to have married Kman and I see that even more as we travel the road of parenthood together.
The main goal is to teach your children to be kind and not to act like tasmanian devils, right?!
The gift of a child can be summed up quite truthfully from my most recent read, I Brake for Meltdowns (How to handle the most "exasperating behavior of your 2-5 year old). The book explains, "Young children seem programmed to drive us precariously close to the cliff...Our passion for them is matched by the level of exasperation they induce. We parents carry the universal balance scales on our shoulders: equal parts love and Ugh! I think it is accurate to say that small children sometimes behave as if they are, in fact, crazy...And let's admit it; deep down we really envy their lack of inhibition. When we embrace the loveable wackiness of our little psychiatric patients, then we start to have fun - and forbearance."
2 comments:
Okay for some reason- the pics are showing up on my computer but I bet they are adorable. So I hear ya on the parenting front. It's so.....hard. It's great that you guys are talking and working together. Not that you should take suggestions from me because I've tried everything in the book and I still have a Tazmanian devil= but when they were that age- what helped us get through that scream for everything stage was teaching a word- or sentence depending on how much she can say -like "Help me, please." or if they actually can talk- I would just say the sentence that they should have said- "I'm all finished mom." or "Can I get down?" We practiced the tone over and over and gave so much praise when they used their words instead of screaming. Because that's essentially all they're doing- is communicating their feelings and they know how by screaming. So teaching them to use their words- or signs or even saying "Mom" when they want your attention is a step closer.
I wish we could parent vent over a cup of coffee. Miss you Tami. :)
Man, Tami, I'm really impressed. You guys are turning into such great parents! I'm really proud to say I knew you back when...! LOL
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