In these early years of parenting I've found myself in survival mode more often than I want to admit. You know the days where all you've done is feed the children and allowed whatever's necessary to not lose your freakin mind.
Well, Tedd Tripp did us moms a solid by breaking parenting into three major stages. Within each stage he identified a "if you only do one thing, it's this." This lays a great parenting foundation, while bringing simplicity and do-ability to those hard days. I absolutely love it.
Here are his stages. Underneath the titles are a few thoughts the Coram Deo parenting conference provided.
0-5yrs: Submission to authority
-Teaching them they're not the boss.
-Submission to authority is a foundation to a Godly character.
-Work on prompt obedience, and cheerful obedience.
Hugs and love are difficult to receive after discipline if there's a bad attitude.
Without the right attitude you're only changing behavior; we aren't just about behavior
modification, we're after the heart.
5-12 yrs: Character formation
-Encourage natural strengths- through art, play, sports, affirmation, reading, etc.
-Gospel parenting comes into play- the child begins to realize they cannot obey perfectly, which is
why they need Jesus.
12-18 yrs: Responsibility
-Give responsibility- layout your expectations
-Hold them accountable
If you'd like to learn more, check out Tedd Tripp's book "Shepherding a Child's Heart."
Post 1 can be found here
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