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steep learning curve and one where life is the biggest teacher. Today I will share the second of three parts of things that I wish I would have known as a young mom or ideas which I am thankful that others taught me prior to me making the mistake. Click to view the first eleven life lessons.
12. Guard your marriage. A dear friend of mine just sent her last
child off to college. It is just her and her husband for the next 30-40
years that God gives them. We can easily get short sighted and think we
must give our children our full attention when in reality God tells us that after Himself, our husbands are to be our top priorities.
13. Say it. Mean it. Stick to it. Otherwise don’t say it. Consistency is key to childrearing. Idol threats only breaks the trust of my word and teach my child that my words lack substance.
14. Read, read, read. Treasure those daily moments of reading with your child. While introducing my child to quality books is key to reading and academic learning, it is also precious bonding time for me and my child. Enjoy those moments when your child sits on your lap for story time. Soon, they will be too big.
15. Get quality and a good quantity of sleep. No one can function well on limited or constantly disrupted sleep. You may think your body has adjusted to only a few hours of sleep “but studies show that a sleep deficit affects your mood, energy, and immune function.” {USA Weekend, May 2012} I can not encourage you enough to train your child to go to bed, stay in bed, and sleep in. Simple things like waiting a few minutes before rushing in to a baby’s room if he is whimpering and turning off the baby monitor so everyone gets a good night sleep (don’t worry, you will still hear the baby). Then, give yourself a bed time and stick to it.
16. Evaluate your expectations for mommyhood and yourself. Are they realistic? Are you comparing yourself to a TV character? Are you comparing yourself to the neighbor or a woman in your Women’s Ministry group? Read how my expectations nearly ruined my family.
17. Don’t start what you don’t want to continue. There are so many truths to this. If I don’t want my three-year-old sleeping with me, I shouldn”t let her at 14 months. If I don’t want my child walking around the dinner table grazing from people’s plates at age five, I don’t let her at 16 months. If I want our child to pray before meals at age nine, I must pray with her before meals at age one. Think long term in decision making.
18. Days dictate nights and home behavior dictates away-from-home behavior. Training occurs in the privacy of the home. If you ever wonder why things don’t go well at night or when you visit a restaurant, church, or grocery store, check the expectations and consistency at home. It always amazes me when we get in public and I see an alarming behavior only to realize I allow or perpetuate the behavior at home.
19. “If momma ain’t happy, no one is happy.” While this saying is
meant to be funny, there is great truth in the words. I set the tone
for our home. My husband often quotes “attitude reflects leadership.”
20. Did I mention….guard your marriage? Just in case you missed this one I want to reiterate it again. Do not let your marriage go thinking that you can simply pick it back up in 20 years when the kiddos move out. It doesn’t work that way.
Continued on the next blog post…
Loving all these! Such good reminders!
Even as I typed and edited these, they were good reminders for me!
With two tots and a husband that works long hours, its easy to forget to put our marriage first. We are both REALLY good at making sure the kiddos don't interrupt conversations and the time we spend together…. But after looonnnggg days, we both end of up sitting on the couch next to each other and catching up on the world on our phones. Something we both are bad about. A week ago, hubby brought home work and I sat at the dining room with him and painted while he worked. Amazingly, that was more relaxing than our normal phone routine. We are both extremely introverted. I will def work on the phone issue on my end!
I believe the phone problem occurs in most homes. Thank you for the reminder.