Rules and Discipline

Having a almost three year old in the house I constantly need to check on discipline and behaviour.  As a mother I also constantly ask myself if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm being to strict or I try and see what others do and how their children behave.  Of course the last option is totally wrong as each child is unique and you as a mother could not and should not compare yourself to others.  As a mom I know that I should look to our Lord and Saviour for answers and therefor discipline and lead my child according to His will.

I do however love to learn from other Christian moms on how they handle certain situations and what they choose to implement.  I do not compare our routine or rules with them, but rather use it as a guideline.  One such Christian mom that I respect is Grietjie from Joyful Mama.  She is also a very dear friend and I just loved this new idea on implementing rules in their family that I had to not only implement this in our home {adjusted to suit our needs}, but also share it with you!

Explaining rules to a three year old is daunting to say the least, what they really understand is something I always question, but with this super cute and easy to follow Umbrella rules chart Mouse totally understands what is expected of her and what she may and may not do!

I explained that as an umbrella keeps us safe from rain, rules are there to keep us safe as a family.  Under our umbrella is daddy, mommy and Mouse with Tatam {there on her demand!}
Our rules are drawn on the umbrella, in both text and symbols for Mouse that cannot read at this stage.

• We talk nicely to each other - no tantrums!
• We take care of our goodies
• We clean up after ourselves
• We need to listen to Mommy and Daddy

At first I thought that it might be to advanced for her, but she quickly grasped all the pictures and meanings associated with them.  Now when she does something that is not allowed, for example in stead of asking nicely for something she whines, I will ask her what the mouth on our poster means.  She understand immediately and will correct her own behaviour!  Please visit Grietjie's blog to view her stunning post on this and her chart. As you will see Mouse already personalized this poster by drawing on it!

The other tool that we started implementing is our timer.  Never in my wildest dreams have I ever considered that a timer could work so well! We usually had to fight to stop playing and get into the bath for example - this is now something of the past.  She loves and thrives on the fact that she can see the time passing and know when it is time to move onto the next activity when the timer's alarm goes off.  We started off slowly with just a few minutes on the timer and we are up to 15 minutes per timing session now.  It is making such a huge difference and I cannot imagine being without it now!

Hope that you have a blessed week and if you have any ideas on discipline and behaviour please feel free to comment!

Book Review - The Principles of the Path

How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? 

Often we set goals or have life dreams for ourselves, but we end up way of track.  The Principle of the Path is a great book to empower you to identify your path that will lead you to your goal or dream.

I'm not big on self help books, but this one is different.  The author, Andy Stanley, is a pastor and founder of North Point Ministries.  The book is written with a Christian perspective and frequently quotes scripture.  I liked that it was scripture based and I also enjoyed Andy's writing style, grounded and easy to follow.

Andy points out that insight into what we want is not enough - we need God!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

lean not on your own understanding,

In all ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Without our Lord and Saviour in our lives we will not be able to accomplish anything.  The book will help you to identify some key aspects, for example:

• Why do I hesitate to give God full access to every part of my life?
• What do I fear will happen on the other side of that decision?
• What is the most difficult area of my life to yield control?

 The book includes a short study guide that will be perfect for small groups to use and discuss.  I truly liked this book and enjoyed reading it.  Andy offers sound advice that is easy to implement in daily life.

The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be - Amazon Link
Kalahari.net Link

I blog with integrity, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.  I was provided with a free copy of the book by Booksneeze.