Welcome to another week of our Everyday Jesus link-up. Be sure to link-up below this post, comment on your neighbor’s blog and share with your friends… Because Jesus is everywhere, every day!
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Parenting is one crazy ride.
One minute you are laughing so hard you want to cry and the next minute you are crying because, well, parenting.
It is kind of exciting to think that I have been blogging long enough to share a few “Commandment” series blogs of parenting, like 10 commandments of Pregnancy for the Husbands, for the family/friends and strangers of pregnant gals, commandments for the preggos themselves and even 10 Commandments for New Mamas.
So yep, you guess it. 2.5 years later, a new addition: The 10 Commandments of Parenting Toddlers.
1. Thou shalt laugh. Please. Laugh. And don’t just laugh, feel free to guffaw and really let it out. (Only after your kid recovers from whatever silly thing they did and moves on with their day.) There are numerous opportunities for me to choose to be all serious and grumpy (or even “too busy”) to really find the joy and humor in parenting our sweet toddler. So laugh.
2. Thou shalt speak kind words to the tiny human. It is amazing how someone so tiny can have a personality so huge. And how much power our words can already have over them. Just tone, facial expression and the way we speak can make or break a child’s heart. Don’t get me wrong– we still need to discipline, but it needs to be done in love, sown with the seeds of God’s truth. Because that will last a lifetime.
3. Thou shalt not compare. Pretty sure this one has made the list on a majority of our commandments. But it bears repeating. Don’t compare. Because it will either stress you out or puff you up (only to deflate you 34 seconds later when your allegedly-potty-trained 18-month-old poops in the bushes at the playground.) Rejoice in the kid God gave you and move on.
4. Thou shalt not get too comfortable… Because chances are, things will change again in about 20 minutes. It almost never fails– right when I find the “knack” for getting my kiddo to sleep or eat or whatever, a new factor comes in (big girl bed? Potty training? Wants to feed baby doll at the table simultaneously?) so have to stay on our toes. Which leads to the next commandment…
5. Thou shalt roll with it. Oh friends– this has been a BIG one for me. A painful (but necessary) growth opportunity I would say. I am scheduled planner– and I don’t like kinks thrown in my plans. But this little one is the biggest kink-thrower I have ever met. So now, instead of getting all bent out of shape, I just roll with it. (Most of the time, anyways…)
6. Thou shalt be practical. This one is a slightly double-edged commandment. There is nothing about toddlerhood that deems a living in PretendLand moment. Sure, my daughter will SAY she wants a ponytail, but after negotiating and finally getting her situated, she will change her mind and take it out two minutes later. So we don’t spend a ton of time getting groomed up, because most days it just doesn’t work out. However, don’t be TOO practical. Sometimes you just need to get an ice cream cone at 9:17am on a Saturday for going on the potty in a public restroom for the first time. (Her, not me.)
7. Thou shalt be patient. Self-explanatory. #Seriously #DeepBreaths
#OneDayAtATimeSweetJesus
8. Thou shalt be creative. This ties back into commandment number 5. Sometimes, we just have to be creative. Out of stickers during crafty-play-hurry-up-is-it-bed-time-yet? Give the tiny human a piece of duct tape. Stuck in traffic? Make up a new song or teach a ridiculous new skill (our current favorite is “Practicing Emotions.”)
9. Thou shalt extend AND receive grace. Yes, friends. All the things yes. I have to give grace to my girl, because hey, she is still a little kid, learning how to do life and function like a “real” human everyday. Manners, sharing, waiting, all of it requires grace as we teach. BUT– we also have to receive grace ourselves for those moments when we raise our voice when we knew we shouldn’t or spoke those words we can’t take back. Grace. For all of this parenting journey.
10. Thou shalt pray. As with all of my other commandments, I believe this is the most important. (Don’t be fooled that just because it is at the bottom of the list, it is last in precedence.) Seriously, though– pray about EVERYTHING. To laugh. To enjoy the experience. For discernment when a new awkward behavior erupts. When the tiny humans start becoming not-so-tiny. For all the things all the time.
So friends: Which commandment is your favorite? Which do you identify with most? Join in the conversation and leave a comment.
Remember, if God called you to be a parent, it is for a reason. Invite him into your everyday with prayer– whether you are currently parenting a tiny human or not, have ever been or ever will.
Because God cares about your everyday.
Guided by Him,
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” ~Proverbs 22:6
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