Some, who know me well, might say I have some...issues...with authority. Now I don't know about issues, I just don't like being told what to do. I don't like following someone else truth, be it a recipe or bible study worksheet, I don't like to live my life "fill in the blank" style.
I pray my children are not like me. How great would it be to "go along to get along". It just isn't my style but it would be really nice if it was theirs.
Since I am not a good rule follower, I have very few rules in our house. They pretty much look like this:
-Respect yourself
-Respect others
-Respect your things
The end. We take baths because we respect the body God gave us. We stop chasing our sister when she yells "no!" because we respect others. We put away our things because we respect the blessings God gave us. Most behavior fits into the above three rules.
Our girls chat before bed time. Matt and I decide it isn't something we are going to fight. Who wants to end every night by yelling at your kids to shut up and go to sleep. Instead we have decided that part of the fun of sharing your room with your best friend is getting to be silly for a little bit before falling asleep every night. We put them to bed early enough that we don't worry about play time.
The other night I heard Eliana belly laughing a good 30 minutes after I put her to bed. And a few minutes later Addilyn was upset saying "I don't like it!". Matt when upstairs to see what was going on. I heard " Your cleaning this up in the morning!" and he came down the stairs in stitches. Apparently, in the boredom of a dark room, while putting off sleep, Eliana found a small hole in her pillow. She pulled out all the stuffing and needing somewhere to put it, decided to stuff it in her little sisters jammies. Matt came in the room to find a Cheshire cat and a stay-puff marshmallow man.
Now, the above situation clearly violates all three rules; you didn't respect your bodies need for sleep by playing, you didn't respect your sister and you ruined your pillow. Sigh. Maybe my children like rules as much as I do.
I pray my children are not like me. How great would it be to "go along to get along". It just isn't my style but it would be really nice if it was theirs.
Since I am not a good rule follower, I have very few rules in our house. They pretty much look like this:
-Respect yourself
-Respect others
-Respect your things
The end. We take baths because we respect the body God gave us. We stop chasing our sister when she yells "no!" because we respect others. We put away our things because we respect the blessings God gave us. Most behavior fits into the above three rules.
Our girls chat before bed time. Matt and I decide it isn't something we are going to fight. Who wants to end every night by yelling at your kids to shut up and go to sleep. Instead we have decided that part of the fun of sharing your room with your best friend is getting to be silly for a little bit before falling asleep every night. We put them to bed early enough that we don't worry about play time.
The other night I heard Eliana belly laughing a good 30 minutes after I put her to bed. And a few minutes later Addilyn was upset saying "I don't like it!". Matt when upstairs to see what was going on. I heard " Your cleaning this up in the morning!" and he came down the stairs in stitches. Apparently, in the boredom of a dark room, while putting off sleep, Eliana found a small hole in her pillow. She pulled out all the stuffing and needing somewhere to put it, decided to stuff it in her little sisters jammies. Matt came in the room to find a Cheshire cat and a stay-puff marshmallow man.
Now, the above situation clearly violates all three rules; you didn't respect your bodies need for sleep by playing, you didn't respect your sister and you ruined your pillow. Sigh. Maybe my children like rules as much as I do.
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