I guess what brought about the big change for me was a change in thinking and approach. Parenting with empathy. Seeing the world from his perspective.
He's a toddler, yes, but he's not unreasonable and naughty. He's not trying to manipulate me by having a meltdown - nobody enjoys a meltown, so why would he? Some people say you can't reason with a toddler, but I say that we need to treat them as we would want to be treated; with respect and empathy, taken seriously. Things that might seem stupid to us are very real and big to him - that's his world. Remember that a toddler is faced with limitations all day long, which is frustrating. We need to be their soft place, their safe place.
The bible says that we shouldn't exasperate our children, but instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Simplify your life. Baby-proof your house. Only say no when its really needed. How would you feel if you heard 'no' all day long.
Discipline from a place of love. Parent your child the way God parents us. If we feel upset about something, we can run into God's arms and feel safe there and the Holy Spirit will comfort us. Don't you think God knows how silly we are being with our little problems, that he could fix at a blink of an eye. But He wants us to run into Him (our strong tower).
I want to parent Ethan the way God parents us.
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