Observe

I'm really enjoying To Train Up A Child. It's written by Amish people and I just think their culture is so unique and admirable. I have no desire to actually become Amish, but I respect them for what they do. I noticed that often in his book he gives examples of interactions between parents and their kids and tells what they should have done or how they should have trained their children differently. I've told a couple people recently who have had questions for me that they should observe others in this way too. Maybe not exactly that way because I think he can be kind of judgmental in his book. I like to observe others: what the kid is doing, how the parents react, and how the kid receives that reaction. But at the same time, I am very aware of the fact that tomorrow it could be MY KID doing that exact same thing. There's no judgment in that respect, I just want to learn from it.

So basically I think it's really good to observe other kids. See what's normal to expect, behavior wise, from kids who are older than yours so that when your kid does that thing it's not unexpected and you've already thought about how you're going to handle it. That's one thing I remember from Making Children Mind (Leman). At least, I think it was that book. Where he said that kids feel more secure when their parents know how to handle them. It makes them think, 'It's no big deal for mom and dad to deal with me. I'm not a problem for them.' Now obviously there are times when Mary sees that I don't know what to do because you can't be ready for everything! But I do think it's good to be as prepared as you can be!