Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Parenting a One-Year-Old: What I'm Learning


With a 15 month old boy, I feel like I'm in the low foothills of a huge parenting mountain. Just scratching the beginning of the learning curve.

A few things I'm discovering at the start of the slope (in no particular order):

1) Boys need to rough-house. Tickling, hanging upside down, spinning in fast circles, wrestling on the bed. Interjecting some rowdy play in the day helps everything else go more happily, it seems...


2) Communication with my husband is key. Communication with the Lord even more so. Andrew and I have to be on the same page and we desperately need wisdom from God!


3) There is wonder everywhere. He was fully captured last night playing on the basketball court with his dad. When you're two feet tall, the world looks different. I'm getting to discover it with him, especially since I'm constantly down on his level playing on the floor or practicing with my new camera.

4) Messes aren't a big deal. Messes are FUN (mostly)! I'm still trying to get this through my head.

5) He understands more than I think. I'm constantly reminding myself of this.
 


6) He is going to has started to copy me. *So far* nothing embarrassing. But knowing that he's watching me and is sure to imitate what he sees puts the fear of God in me!


 7) Consistency, consistency, consistency.

8) I am the one being trained. Not by my son, but by God. Thank you, kind Lord. :)

9) Others have done this before me. And they're as close as a phone call.

10) I can't base my parenting decisions on the perceived opinions of those around me. How you train your children is something pretty much everyone has an opinion about. And that's ok. But I'm a people-pleaser by nature, so I'm learning afresh that I have to be ok with going against the grain of some people's opinion. I need to seek wise counsel, yes. But I can't shift my parenting techniques based on who I'm around at the moment.


As a parent, what are you learning right now?

Linked to Top Ten Tuesday. :)
Share/Bookmark

15 comments:

  1. Oh, it's such a fun age! As for #6: get ready for your child to become your mirror. He will do and say things that make you think "Where did you learn that?" And then you remember that it's something you do all the time, and never realized.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Squishy is just so, so cute!!

    I'm am constantly learning that my emotions dictate our day. I need to be in control if I expect them to learn to be in control (over emotions). When Inspired to Action posted recently about being Jello and absorbing all their emotions, that really hit home with me. Maybe because girls are super emotional (or maybe it's just mine), I'm really having to learn that controlling emotions is so important.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can totally relate to Sarah; I HAVE to stay calm (and often am NOT!), my biggest challenge up till now. I love your comments and #10 in particular, so true! You know what works best for you kid! Love Amelie (Your son is so adorable...)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for posting this!! Even though Susannah isn't to the same learning/following/imitating/teaching stage as Squishy (who is SUPER CUTE!!! btw), it's still encouraging to read this. Isn't it amazing how much we want to please other people?!?! Thanks for the encouragement to stick with it even though others might not agree.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love this!! Partly because I constantly want more pictures of him to ooo and awww at. =)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post Alicia! It's so true. I think parenting is the hardest job I've ever had, but it is truly rewarding seeing my children stand up for themselves and their beliefs. Some days, I tell my husband, we must have done something right along the way. But we still have a long road ahead and I'm sure it's going to get harder as they enter different phases of life. One step at a time, Biblical guidance and the support of loving family and friends gets us through :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great list! Parents are and should be learning every single day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My husband saw the picture of Squishy and commented that he looks like him as a toddler! Let's just say that Squishy will grow up to be a very handsome man then :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. ok, He is SO CUTE!! I struggle w consistency w my 1 1/2 year old. It's always nice to hear that you aren't the only one dealing with it though :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. You have the best lists, Alicia. Thanks for sharing your heart and bringing back so many memories of that precious season with my kids.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Learning to pray for my children (even the one due next month) and pray for widsom. Also, there is so much I learn because I'm having to be disciplined and train my children, like that God will give us what we need to obey Him, and "even if the world turns into giant pickle, Jesus is still on the throne." (God's truth doesn't change based on our perception of reality. I just read Ted Tripp's book, Shepherding a Child's Heart, and have been putting much more thought into what's going on in their hearts, not just changing behavior. The past couple days I have been working on consistency, especially with my 1 1/2 year old daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  12. He is WAY too cute, Alicia. Just WAY too cute!

    I'm learning that to be a good parent I have to have very clear and realistic (and often flexible) expectations (of my child, of my schedule, of my husband, of my ... cooking abilities, etc).

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great lessons! It is amazing how much you learn as you parent your children, isn't it? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. love the pics Alicia...love you!

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments. :) I know your time is precious, so I appreciate the time you spend reading and giving feedback.

Please be respectful of others and kind with your words.