5 Ways Twins Can Change Your Life

May 16, 2013 By

Some people call me a superhero, doubly blessed. Others say I have my hands full, double trouble.

Hi, my name is Christen, and I’m a mother of twins.

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Before I had children, I had heard rumors that motherhood was the most challenging and rewarding job on the face of the planet. I was the newlywed that thought I could handle the challenge of being a mom; that it couldn’t be that hard. I had illusions that the reward part of motherhood would be more often than the challenge and my children would be well behaved, athletic, musically-talented, smart, and successful from a very early age.

Now, I can imagine God and his chorus of angels laughing at my naivety.  “Just you wait,” is what they were saying to each other.

Having twins has changed my life in so many ways. Here are just five ways twins can change your life:

1. The biggest lesson that I’ve learned so far from being a mother of multiples is expect the unexpected.  I’m naturally a Type-A girl that likes for things to be done my way.  I plan, I organize. It’s just part of my DNA.  When life doesn’t go according to my plans, I usually freak out in a not so nice manner (it usually involves tears, chocolate, and a reality t.v. show…not always in that exact order). But, the twins have been God’s way of teaching me to trust in his plans, his times, his ways.

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And, you know what? His plans might come as a surprise to me but he sure knows how to throw one amazing surprise party.

Like, when we found out we were having twins.  It was a shock, yet he also answered a desire of my heart.

Or, how the twins came three months early weighing only two pounds each.  God used those 83 days in the NICU to change my perspective on faith in a radical way.

2. The best advice I have for any mother expecting twins is to embrace the journey.  You will be different from your friends with singleton births.  Your family will not always have answers to your questions.  You pediatrician visits will take an extremely long time. The little old ladies at the grocery store will always ask you if they are twins.  Your stroller will be bigger, you will go through more diapers, and if you have to use formula, you will cherish your $5 off coupons.

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3. After my twins were home from the hospital, I wanted so desperately for life to be normal.  But, I had to adapt to a new version of normal.  It was really hard not to compare my children to others, especially since they were born premature.  My twins were three months behind developmentally. They were still in newborn clothes at six months old and could barely crawl by the time they turned one.  Their first year was so very challenging and God taught me humility; how the high expectations I set for my children before they were born were false forms of pride.  Yet through the challenge of their developmentally-delayed first year, we reaped bountiful amounts of reward.  Each day was truly a gift that we weren’t sure we would receive when they were born premature.  Each milestone met was an abundant accomplishment; comparisons were discarded and expectations became less exaggerated. We found our normal and I was so happy it looked completely different from everyone else.

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4. Another way twins have changed me for the better is I’ve realized that I need help.  Bad. Before, I was much too prideful to admit that I couldn’t do this motherhood thing on my own.  Asking for help has not only changed my perspective on pride, but it has also strengthened my relationship with Jesus, my husband, my family, and my friends.  Daily, Jesus and my husband help me get through the day as a mom of twins.  Without Jesus, I would have no peace.  Without my husband, I would have no clean clothes (among other things :) ) This past year, we moved back to our hometown to raise our children closer to family. I have no shame in dropping the twins off at their grandparents house so I can run errands, write, or have a date with my husband. It’s fabulous. Before I had the girls, I was very private, even with my friends.  It wasn’t that I was trying to be secretive, but I didn’t always like to talk about the tough stuff.  Now, I’m much more vulnerable, authentic, and open in my friendships, online and in real life.  Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.  It’s actually a form of strength.

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5. And, mothers of twins need some strength. Especially in the toddler years.  Twin toddlers has caught me completely off-balance.  One goes this way, while the other goes that way. I know now where the term double trouble comes from. Keeping up with twin toddlers has been the most challenging part of motherhood for me so far.  I’m emotionally and physically exhausted after our days filled with tantrums, potty-training, and fierce independence.  My house is always a wreck and food always gets stolen off my plate.  Naps are {almost} a thing of the past and bedtime couldn’t come any sooner.  I wonder daily how I’m going to make it raising twin toddlers.

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But, then my twin toddlers say how much they love me.  Or, they will twirl around in their princess dress exclaiming, “I’m so happy!”  They aren’t my babies anymore but they still love to cuddle in the early and late hours of the day.  Watching them run, use their manners, and hug each other is the reward during this challenging stage of life.

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Twins are always a double blessing and sometimes double trouble.  God gives some moms twins because he believes we are up for the challenge. Or, maybe its because we need a challenge.  Whatever the reason may be for the challenge, I urge you to rest in the reward; the double portion of God’s grace.

Question: If you are a mother of twins, what has been your hardest challenge and what has brought you the most reward?

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What Peter Rabbit’s Momma Can Teach Us About Parenting

January 22, 2013 By

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My twin two year old girls love The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  I’m sure they can relate to mischievous Peter, who doesn’t listen to his mother and goes to Mr. McGregor’s garden anyway to eat carrots. Our version has the pull tabs and it is almost torn to pieces we’ve read it so much. They love finding Peter’s lost shoes and pulling the gooseberry net up and down trying to release him.  They explore the tool shed looking for Peter but only finding a ladybug, butterfly and bubble bee instead. Finally, Peter makes it out of Mr. McGregor’s garden and makes it home but instead of receiving hot soup like his sisters, his mother puts him in bed with chamomile tea.  After reading about Peter for so long, I have to say in true southern style, “Bless his momma’s heart.”

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Seriously, poor Mrs. Rabbit!  She warned her son not to go into mean ole’ Mr. McGregor’s garden so he wouldn’t turn up in pie like his father but Peter did it anyway.  He was disobedient, careless, and stubborn.

Peter Rabbit reminds me of my children.  Does he yours?

I can relate to how frustrated Mrs. Rabbit felt when Peter did what she told him not to do.  I felt that frustration just yesterday.  My oldest twin has an obsession with my bathroom.  She is such a girly girl (oh my!) and loves makeup, lotion, hair accessories, and lip gloss.  I see nothing wrong with her finding these things pretty but I do not like for her to get into my drawers without supervision. When she does, it turns out like this:

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somehow my mascara turned into face paint

When she got in my makeup drawer yesterday morning, I gave her a warning.  She didn’t listen.  I gave her a second warning and put her in time out.  She blew her tongue out at me.  At this point, I was searching for the peace and self-control that the Fruit of the Spirit says I should have.

When my child is disobedient, it is hard to feel anything but frustrated.  I just want to shake her and tell her to listen to me. But, is that truly the best way to get her to behave? 

Recently, I heard a family counselor speak about Fruitful Parenting.  He said, “All frustration comes from an expectation that hasn’t been met.”  He went on to say that humans (children fall into this category!) function better when we know what is expected of us and what will happen if we meet or fail to meet the expectation.  Expectations are part of our job description as parents – mothers – because we are the ones who should be instilling what is morally right and wrong into our children.  A familiar child-raising verse in the Bible is Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  I’ve always paid attention to the training up part of that verse but what the counselor pointed out was “the way he should go.”  Peter’s mother told Peter the way he should go.  But, Peter went in the way he wanted to go instead of listening to his mother.  In order for our children not to get tangled in a gooseberry net, we have to practice consequence-based parenting.

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Consequence-based parenting is about identifying the expectations that we have for our children.  The expectations can simply be broken into the what, when, how, where, and why.  My two year old needs to know that she is not allowed to play with my makeup (what) unless she is supervised (when).  She will be assisted by me in applying the makeup (how) only in the bathroom (where) so she won’t make a mess (why).  If she meets those expectations, she will be rewarded with fun makeup time.  If she does not meet those expectations, she isn’t allowed to have fun makeup time.

I don’t know if Peter’s disobedience was a continual action or if running into Mr. McGregor’s garden was his first time offense.  I think he had probably tested the water before and that was why his momma warned him at the beginning of the book.  She disciplined him at the end by taking away supper but she still needs to practice consequence-based parenting.  Maybe the next day she tells Peter that his prior actions showed that he wasn’t as mature as he thought he was so he lost his privileges to run around without supervision.  Peter might blame his mother for his punishment but she must remind Peter that his actions cost him his privileges, not hers. 

I’m sure his mother doesn’t want to take the time to supervise Peter’s activities (just like I don’t want to stand guard at my bathroom door) but in order for our children to learn how to meet our expectations we must practice consequence-based parenting.  Our children are going to push the limits…it is sadly part of their nature.  But, when they push, might we as moms be strong enough in our expectations that this pushing can lead to growth?  That our children’s challenging moments can draw us to a place of peace instead of frustration?  Instead of impulse parenting, might we be able to set a simple plan of expectations and consequences?

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9

Question: How do you handle your child’s disobedience?

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Hula-Hooping Into 2013

January 3, 2013 By

Confession: I’m a multi-tasker who is tired of multi-tasking.

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(photo source: dailyhistory.net)

Entering 2013, my eyes have barely focused on the future from the blur of 2012.  It was the year of the multi-tasking mamma, aka me (was it for you too?).  From planning a two year old tu-tu birthday party, putting our house up for sale, moving to our hometown, and leaving my stay-at-home job for church ministry, my days were filled juggling.  To mark the end of our crazy year, my husband and I ventured to the salty air and crashing waves in Florida to clear our heads and begin thinking about what is to come.

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With the wind whipping my face, I take a barefooted walk along the shell-filled shore.  The water is icy and the sand is cold but the moment to breathe in God’s presence makes it all worthwhile.  I hug my sweatshirt closer to my body and begin to feel the warmth of his spirit on this cold winter day.  Walking in quiet, all the noise of 2012 evaporates and I’m reminded that the Lord has plans, a hope, and a future for me.

In 2012, we trusted his plans that led us to our new lives but we didn’t completely give him our days.  We tackled our year with man and woman induced stamina, not God-breathed stamina.  At the end of that year, we were left feeling tired and overwhelmed.  Like Martha, we were worried and upset about many things (Luke 10:41).

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To rest in hope for our futures in 2013, we have to embrace the Mary way and focus on one thing: Jesus.

*In Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Joanna Weaver explains, “Life is filled with Hula-Hoops.  We all have responsibilities, important things that need our attention.  If we’re not careful, however, our hearts and our minds can be consumed with the task of keeping them in the air.  Rather than centering ourselves in Christ and letting the other elements of our lives take their rightful place around that center, we end up shifting our attention from one important to-do item to another, frantically trying to keep them all in motion.  It’s easy to forget that while there is a time to work, there is also a time to worship – and it’s the worship, the time we spend with God, that provides the serene center to a busy, complex life.”

As each year goes by, I begin to understand more of what it means to live a Christ-centered life.  As Joanna said, there is a time for work but in order to live with a sane mind we have to spend time worshiping Jesus.  Being a mother of toddlers, my time is pulled in many directions.  I want to focus on my children while balancing my career, health, friendships, and marriage.  Contentment is a struggle of mine because I get so easily caught up in my own plans.  Instead of feeling peaceful at the end of my day, I’m plagued with guilt from all the things I didn’t accomplish on my to-do list.  This guilt leads to me becoming worried and upset like Martha.  I love how Luke puts an exclamation point at the end of verse 40 where Martha says, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!”  As a multi-tasking mom that is tired of multi-tasking, I have gotten to that exasperated point of needing help.  But, what I am learning is that help to live centered can only come from Christ: not my husband, a maid, or my mom.

Christ’s presence is what changes my exclamation point from exasperated to enthusiastic.  He gives me courage to face my days and peace to calm my nerves.  I’m learning to worship him while folding laundry, checking e-mails, and driving to gymnastics. To hula-hoop into 2013 more centered, us moms can try these three things:

1. Write down a list of your many things and label them by priority (1 being highest and 4 being lowest).  Cut out all of the 4′s and some of the 3′s. Tricia Goyer gave this advice at a recent conference I attended and releasing tasks has helped me tremendously with my anxiety.  It has changed my perspective on what is important versus tasks that I did because I couldn’t say no or wanted to look good.

2. Impress God’s love on your home (Deut. 6:7).  If we are juggling all these hula hoops like crazy women, our husbands and children are going to live frantically too.  Taking time to worship God will not only help us moms live more centered, but we will be a reflection of God’s love to our family members.  Jesus is home and home is love.

3. Take God with you every hour of every day.  Make a designated spot in your home to pray  but also get creative and meet him at different points in your day. Some examples would be tuning to the Hillsong station on Pandora while doing your morning workout or listening to a Christian podcast while sewing or ironing in the evening. Ann Voskamp encourages us to live in eucharisteo, thanking God for the little and big things in life.  If we make a conscious effort to thank God continually and be in his presence, we tend to be less frustrated and worried.

2013 will still have plenty of hula hoops to juggle as a mom.  But, with these three goals, maybe you and I can quit multi-tasking our lives and find our center in Christ.

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

If your 2012 was overwhelming like mine, sign up for The M.O.M. Initiative right in your inbox and receive a copy next week of our e-book for moms, Overwhelmed.

*Having A Mary Heart In A Martha World. Weaver, JoAnna, page 100

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Facing our Fears

April 25, 2012 By

What’s a mom to do when her child who never minded being passed around a room of eager relatives freaks out at the sound of a flushing toilet? Are childhood anxieties real? The day my four year old screamed from the back of our mini-van in the Hobby Lobby parking lot, I hoped everyone around me believed childhood worries are real. Fears are not because of anything moms do wrong; childhood fears are part of being a child.

Instead of finding the quickest way to squelch a panic, a wise mom knows fears are not only normal, they are the evidence of a growing awareness of a child’s world. As the nervous system develops, along with the ability to manage sensory input, children wonder at their world. For example, once they develop an understanding of object permanence between 8 to 10 months of age, they want to know where their parent went if they leave their sight.  Triggers arouse new questions and reactions for children as they move through new stages of growth:  noises, strangers, darkness, doctors, masked characters.  What’s a mom to do when a new fear trigger appears?

Fears present an opportunity to equip our children for life.

Whether clinging in panic to the rail of a crib or pleading in tears out the window, children who engage their fears are more likely to grow up to be confident adults. You don’t have to resort to trickery or sneaking out of rooms. Face those fears head on with your children! How we respond marks out the path for our children’s future; are you raising a paranoid child or a brave child? When fear grips your small one, use it to teach them:

4 Ways to Face Childhood Fears

Comfort – Let them know you love them and will be there for them. While you may be tempted to give in to a delirious demand, provide confident comfort that nurtures courage and peace in your growing child. Your comfort prepares them to understand that God is their loving Heavenly Father.

Experience – Instead of letting imagined fears dictate your boundaries, broaden your child’s experience base. They are less likely to fear what they understand. Play in the rain so they know how it feels. Listen to thunder and feel its rumble. Feel the tiny feet of a bug walking on your arm. Children follow bold parents into courageous territory.

Skills – Arm your child with skills to solve their problems and meet their needs. Independent skills prepare children to face the unexpected, knowing they are able to encounter and overcome their fears. Though they may cry for you to come turn on their light, teach them to sit up, lean over, and turn it on themselves. When the doctor asks for their name, resist the “mommy urge” to answer; let them learn to speak to the doctor themselves. Equip them to be brave.

Trust – Use crisis moments to teach children to discern the difference between what is true and false. Help them know they can talk to you about their concerns, but more importantly, help them know that they can talk to God. Mentor your child in learning to tell God their fears and ask for His help.

Everyone faces fear, but train children to say Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” Take it from a mom who has faced fears of her own and anguished over a fearful little one. Our children need more comfort than we can offer; they need the divine, lifelong guarantee of God’s presence.

Sirens will sound, doors will slam, strangers will speak, and darkness will come. Will your child be ready? Let’s be comforting moms who equip our kids with the experience, skills, and trust needed to navigate days in the nursery to the playground to the dorm room and beyond!

By Julie Sanders

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Season of Growing

April 9, 2012 By

A walk to my mailbox yesterday revealed a rose about to bloom. A clematis vine winds its way up the porch, hanging with purple blossoms. Even the fungus on the stump has gone from espresso cup to soup bowl size in a matter of days. If growth is the symphony of springtime, our children take center stage.

 

It’s time for mommies everywhere to set aside their ironing baskets, resist spring cleaning, and turn off technology in favor of embracing this season of growth with our children.  Including these 7 essential ingredients in your spring will help you make the most of this season of growing.

7 Springtime Ingredients for Growing Children

G – God: Psalm 19:1-6 describes how nature tells who God is and what He’s like. As all of creation awakens at once, it’s the perfect time to help children turn their thoughts to the Maker of heaven and earth, see His nature in the wonders, and praise Him for being so creative. Don’t miss God in the glory of springtime!

R – Reading: Spring gives a mom a lot to work with in motivating children to read. Visit your local library for books about seeds, weather, earth worms, life cycles, baby animals, and new life. I personally love Dr. Seuss, “O Say Can You Seed.” Use the new season to feed your child’s mind.

O – Outdoors: Fresh air and breezes invite us to step outside. Don’t let allergies or bugs stop you! Put on play clothes and sneakers and get outside with sidewalk chalk, a ball, a kite, or a blanket. Unless it’s a rainy spring day, make it your goal to get outside each day. Take your meals, your lessons, your chores, and your special occasions outdoors.

W – Walking: Couch potatoes thrive in winter. Once the weather changes, take advantage of the chance to move and be active. Moms have to model motion for children to learn healthy habits. Instead of just “sending kids out to play,” get out with them. Walk with other moms and kids, meet new friends in your neighborhood or playground, or use it to catch up with your husband.

I – Inspiration: Like plants coming to life around us, creativity blossoms in springtime. No other season has such a wide palette of colors or variety of songs as its background. Let the array inspire you and your children to be artistic. Have a basket of paints, paper, craft materials, musical instruments, and miscellaneous items on hand for inspired moments.

N – Nurturing: Take a cue from the duck at the park and use the springtime to nurture your ducklings. It’s the ideal season to let children follow you and enjoy the shelter of your wings. All too soon, they’ll lose their downy feathers and take flight, so enjoy your brood in this season reserved for motherhood.

G – Gratitude: Find a sunny spot under new leaves, and soak in the sweetness of motherhood. Images will sneak in like mounds of laundry, stains on carpet, and late night feedings … block those out! Listen to the sounds of your children, take in every detail of their faces, watch with wonder at what they’ve learned. Be amazed and grateful that you are a mother.

So many times throughout the year, we let daily things cause us to miss the wonders of mothering our growing sprouts called children. This spring … enjoy.

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Teamwork – Lessons from a Toddler

February 13, 2012 By

While learning to walk, Jonathon had clung happily to our fingers, leaning on us for support. We had held him safely between us.

Now that he could walk on his own, however, he wanted nothing to do with either parent. If I carried him, he squirmed to get “down.” Once on terra firma, he scurried away as fast as his wobbly legs would carry him.

Terrified for his safety, I dashed after him, clamping my hand around his chubby fist. Then I endured ear-splitting screams of protest as he tried to free himself from my restrictive vice grip. (Oh, and the disapproving glances and tut-tut head-shakes of passers-by who assumed I was needlessly harsh with my adorable toddler!)

Several weeks into this new routine, Jonathon tried a new tactic. We were walking through the market – me fighting to focus on my shopping list as my tiny son was fighting to get loose from me – when suddenly he stopped struggling.

Now, I normally have s.l.o.w. reflexes. I’ll drop a bottle of soda, think to myself, “When this hits my foot, it’s sure gonna hurt!” yet be unable to move my foot to avoid the pain and eventual bruise.

Yet on this particular day, my physical reaction miraculously occurred even as my brain registered, “He’s stopped struggling. Something is about to happen.”

I gripped Jonathon’s hand tighter and, with lightening speed, rotated my wrist a half turn, moving my hand away from him. Sure enough, with a strategic gleam in his eyes, Jonathon opened his mouth and chomped his rasor-sharp baby teeth…into his own pudgy hand.

Shock, confusion, and dismay replaced defiance on his face. Pain registered, and he began to cry. I comforted him, and then we walked on, hand-in-hand without resistance.

I felt grateful Jonathon had experienced the natural consequence of his biting. He had bitten, and he had experienced the pain.

And then I thought: Daniel.

Jonathon will try this on Daniel. I’ve got to tell him before Jonathon tries this on him!

That evening, before bed, I recounted the brief incident to my husband, concluding with the recommendation, “So if you feel him stop pulling to get away, don’t think; just rotate your hand away from him.”

The very next morning, Daniel took Jonathon on a quick errand. He returned with a meek toddler and a knowing wink. After settling Jonathon down for his nap, he told me,

“It happened just like you said! I was dragging him down the isle. He was fighting to get away from me the whole time, when suddenly he stopped. My brain was thinking All of these bananas are too ripe. Don’t they have any gree- when suddenly it switched to Rotate your wrist!

He chomped down SO hard! It took five minutes to stop his crying.

The whole time, what kept going through my mind was, If he had bit my hand, I wouldn’t have thought. I just would have slapped him across the face as hard as I could.”

Daniel paused, shook his head at the thought, and resumed.

“I’m really glad I was prepared.”

Jonathon turned out to be a two-bite baby. Natural consequences nipped what could have been a nightmarish habit in the bud.

I still shudder to think what could have happened if I’d not told Daniel about my near-biting incident with Jonathon.

What if Jonathon had bitten him? What if Daniel had slapped our toddler across the face? With whom would I have sided? How would that have impacted our less-than-five-year-old marriage? How would Daniel’s image of himself as a father been altered? How would Daniel’s relationship to his son been changed?

Daniel and I learned some important lessons about teamwork that day:

1) Keep each other “in the loop.”

2) Prevent situations that encourage “siding” with a child, against each other.

3) Refuse to play tug-of-war when there’s a child between us.

We also learned how vital it was for us to keep clinging together. To keep leaning on each other – and on the One who has always safely held us – for support.

By Cheri Gregory 

 

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40 Weeks of Growing Trust

February 8, 2012 By

The test stick turns pink, and suddenly your whole world changes. Within days you may start to feel your body change, and new thoughts cross your mind that you never considered before.  How will life change professionally, intimately, financially, and physically? With the passing of each day on the calendar, you may feel like time is running out to get a firm hold on the coming addition to your family and the changes to your world.  Forty weeks will pass faster than you think, and the urge to be in control may grow right along with the size of your tummy and your belly button! But pregnancy is not just about growing a baby; it’s about growing our trust.

While the egg grows into an embryo with arm buds and hiccups, God uses the same weeks to take a woman’s heart and prepare her for the task of motherhood. Stretch marks might show up on her hips, but they’ll also show up on her heart. While we prepare a nursery and read up on nursing and pre-school, we also need to grow our ability to trust God.

You won’t find it on a baby registry or wrapped up to be received at a shower, but trust in God is a mother’s greatest resource. Many new moms learn early on that we cannot be in control of our conception, though we long to conceive. We can’t be in control our baby’s arrival, though we long to schedule. We can’t be in control of our delivery, though we develop a birthing plan. When our bundle of joy starts to eat cereal, roll over, crawl, ride a bike, or get on a school bus, mothers are reminded over and over that we cannot control the events in those who call us “Mommy” and own our hearts. We must trust the Heavenly Father to do what’s best for our treasures and to watch over them.

Thankfully, unlike us, our Father is not limited and given to sleep deprivation. He sees the future and knows the past. We may not be able to grasp it, but He is totally sufficient to watch over our little ones and to give us all we need to be the mommies He has called us to be.

“ Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”  Isaiah 40:28-29

Sweet mom-to-be, if there’s a baby growing inside your belly, let your trust in the tireless Heavenly Father grow in your heart. Even now, He is watching over your baby’s life, and He will not ever stop.

By Julie Sanders

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Taming Your Toddler’s TV

January 4, 2012 By

It buys time to make dinner, but it can take over our toddler’s day if we aren’t careful. TV watching is an easy trap, but we can kick the habit and find meaningful ways to occupy our children. 

It seems impossible to fill a toddler’s day, but we can grow bright and busy toddlers without “plugging them in.” A 2010 University of Quebec study reported that 2 ½ yr. olds who watched TV have increased risks of health and learning issues. Additional hours of viewing directly corresponded with decreases in engagement and comprehension. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages limits of 1 to 2 hours for children older than two, but recommends none for children under 2. Realistically, what’s a busy mom to do? With a few simple principles, we can tame the TV in our toddler’s life.

Inspiration ~ More than animation or visual effects, a mother provides inspiration for a child’s imagination and hunger for activity. While coordination blossoms in a toddler’s body, invitations to experiment and grow are exhilarating; encouragement nurtures a child’s spirit as they shape their desire for independence. Inspiration to be active feeds the mind, instead of dulling the senses. A toddler’s attention span forces moms to become masters of activity management. Variety is more important than complexity.

  • Offering age appropriate art supplies and examples stimulates creativity.
  • Household jobs like sorting laundry, wiping dishes, and washing vegetables nurtures responsibility.
  • Literature rich environments with books and expressive reading build reading readiness.

Initiation ~ Ideas move ahead of physical ability and can become overwhelming for a toddler.

  • Make simple suggestions to provide direction for discovery.
  • Be available to give guidance to overcome toddler obstacles.

Mothers open the world to little ones with permission to attempt new tasks, explore the world, and join in family life. It may mean setting aside work or turning our attention, but initiating new activities may be the step a toddler needs to engage in their own world, instead of just viewing it.

Imitate ~ When toddlers are inspired to be active and try new experiences, imitation is the resource they need to grow. Children imprint scenes of creativity, hard work, spiritual disciplines, and relationships on their hearts and minds. Watching us instead of animated characters on screen, they learn our values. We provide a framework for what days look like, along with habits and expectations related to television. We may model productivity, balance, or mastery by the tyrant of technology.

  • Provide child sized versions of adult tasks to practice.
  • Make real life objects available to try the things of life.
  • Give toddlers a front row seat to watch you in action.

You don’t have to join the circus to entertain your little one all day. You can inspire them and initiate healthy activity as they learn to imitate a life not controlled by a remote. Tame your TV and turn your toddler on to real life.

How has this helped you make wise choices about taming your toddler’s TV?

By: Julie Sanders

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