“No! No! It’s MINE!” my two year old screamed as I chased
around her around the room for the remote control. A few minutes
later I was negotiating with her for a bottle of ketchup at the
dinner table. And before bedtime, we watched a series of three
Veggie Tales videos over and over again until both of us were
exhausted for the night. After my daughter fell asleep, I began
to mull over in my mind the events of the day. Was my two year
old controlling my life? Ha! She sure was. But WHY? Wasn’t I the
parent? That’s when I really began to do some soul-searching.
I’d seen way too many parents of young children running
themselves ragged to appease their children in every way. Giving
in to each request was not something I’d planned on, but had
just become the easy way out. I knew what I’d have to do. I’d
have to set rules and limits and follow through with them, and
get this…ALL the time! Not having had much practice at this, I
knew I was going to be in for a treat once I began to implement
it. So the next morning, my little one stumbled out of bed and
demanded a small bag of fruit juice snacks for breakfast. I
rolled my eyes. Not the snacks for breakfast again! I was going
to have to make a wise choice and serve her something nutritious
instead…eggs and oatmeal maybe? “No! No! No eggs! CHEWIES!” my
daughter screamed. By the time I had adamantly refused the
second time around, she was on the floor pouncing and flinging
herself all over the place. “Just be calm” I told myself.
“She’ll figure out soon enough that you aren’t going to budge.”
And she did. And she stood up, sat at the table, and ate eggs
and oatmeal.
How easy was that!
Being the parent has become a whole lot easier now that I’ve
realized the importance of setting limits. Setting limits is not
an overnight process. It takes some time. I am aware that there
will be plenty of mornings awaiting me when I will be faced with
new and different challenges. But you know what the best part of
this journey is?
Being the parent.
– Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of
www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which
specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print
designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the
founder of www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog,
and podcast for Christian women.