Phil sent this quote from Luther to me.
“The more ardently parents love their children, the severer their discipline is. … But paternal love and pity demand blows, whips, and stripes, in order that children may be improved, even though this cannot be done without pain and grief.“
Ouch!
And this German Proverb: “The dearer the child, the sharper the rods.”
I believe it’s time that our “disciplining” Lily took on a different flavor. For several months I’ve used the firm “no” and redirection. Lily is now really testing her limits. She thinks it’s so fun to see how far she can go. She really gets a kick out of seeing my get on to her. When she hit Clara in the face and I popped her hand she just laughed at me. At her age, I just don’t know how to make her understand that something is wrong and she can’t do it. I read that I should pick a few things at a time to teach her are not acceptable and prioritize what you ‘discipline’ her over. So far smacking Clara is probably the biggest ‘no no’ and I guess I’ll stick with removing her to the corner or her crib to teach her that. She seems to get very upset when we take that route.
I want well behaved children and I want them to not have to be told over and over to do or not to do something. I know it will take time and extreme perseverance and consistency on my part, but it will be worth it. I’ve already failed many times and wavered on what I should decide to make a “no no” but I make a mental note and move on each day. I hope to figure out how to best correct and instruct my girls sooner than later, later would most likely make my battle harder but is this age too soon? I’m constantly unsure about that.
