Training Johnny to Sit Still Part 3 - Mom, Johnny and Friends

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I just ushered my last of six homeschooled children out the door this morning, and off to public high school.  OK, I'm not gonna lie...I had myself a pity party. I am excited about this new chapter in my life but at the same time, I feel like a fish out of water, and I miss my kids! I know for sure that blogging will be a more consistent part of my life (Wow! It's been two years!).  Plus, I will have my grands a couple of days a week, and I bet they will be giving me plenty to write about!! =) So excited for the fun I will have with them this year!

This one is the last of three parts, but Johnny will continue to show up in my blogs since I am a prophet (HaHa) and I can tell you that, thanks to his wise mama and daddy, he grows up to be a jewel of a man that abundantly gives back to the world he was born into instead of taking from it! Which is, of course what we all aspire to as parents, right?

In my last blog, Mom and Johnny celebrate a huge victory when Johnny learns to sit still for five, ten, and even twenty minutes.  This is a goal that mom never dreamed would be possible, but with the wise advise of her grandmother, determination and consistency she soon realized the peace, love, and joy that blossomed in her home as this one success gave mom the encouragement she needed to continue training Johnny toward obedience.

Mom announces "Johnny, get your shoes on, we are going to the park!" Johnny doesn't hesitate. It had been a week since Mom's last gathering with her "a day at the park" friends and she was anxious to hear from them and had invited Grandma to come for extra support and encouragement.

After a picnic lunch Mom, Grandma and friends gather under the pavilion while the sitter watches the children on the playground.  Molly's mom pipes up and blurts out her frustrations with Molly's behavior from the previous week.  "I just don't understand it!  I popped Molly every time she did anything other than sit still during our practices!  She reacted as if we were playing a game and showed no signs of improvement for three days!"  Bobby's mom shared how every practice turned into an emotional frenzy for both she and Bobby.  They all collaborated back and forth for an hour asking Grandma lots of questions and her responding with her "two cents worth", as she called it, until they finally concluded with three common problems that many parents struggle with when faced with disciplining their children.

1) Molly's mom, with her sweet tender nature, admitted that her pops on Molly's leg were merely pats and Molly in turn was actually associating her bad behavior with something nice, a painless touch from Mama.  "It has to be just enough to sting, otherwise they will not associate their bad behavior with a negative response", said Grandma. " You are not really hurting her, just leaving enough sting to get her attention."

2)When Bobby's mom explained how she gave in to Bobby, allowing him to get away with being noisy and running around "just a couple of times" she added, the problem was clear!  Grandma explained how consistency is key.  "If you are consistent, the problem will be mastered in just a couple of days or less. Save yourself the frustration of dragging it out for weeks and just make up your mind that you are going to be consistent no matter what."  All of the moms agreed that consistency was something they all struggled with.

3) Molly's mom also admitted that her feelings about discipline got in the way. "It makes me feel so mean to spank my child." Molly's mom argued.  The other moms nodded in agreement. "Think about it like this...", Grandma encouraged. "...When you give in to your feelings instead of giving your child the discipline she needs, you are actually being selfish. You are elevating your feelings above Molly's need to be taught self discipline. You are not doing what is, in the long run, best for Molly!" After a long pause Molly's mom said, "I've never thought of it like that before!"

Bobby's and Molly's moms were encouraged to hear of Johnny's mom's successes that week! Realizing their tendencies towards these three common issues they promised to keep a tally for every time they gave in to any of them. They all agreed to continue to meet and be a support for each other in this incredible journey we call parenting.

Thanks for reading!!  Please feel free to leave comments or questions or prayer requests!  And blessings to all of you who are doing your best!  It is not easy!  You're awesome!  Don't ever stop aspiring to being the best parent you can be!  =)