These are in no specific order. These are just the first 5
that came to my mind.
1)
“Instead
of getting sad, we get thankful.”
This
one has saved us many fights, struggles and tears, especially at the end of a
playdate or when it is time to leave a playground. Instead of just telling
your kids to stop being upset, give them a positive, alternate mental activity.
I always say, “Instead of getting sad we have to leave, we get thankful we got
to come.” If they still struggle, pick them up, “yummy” them in your arms and
as you walk away ask them to list 5 things they are thankful for. Thankfulness
is an incredible tool to change attitudes and comfort broken hearts.
2)
“God
made this day. I will be happy, excited, and thankful!”
 |
A very excited Holden Buddy on Opening Day
of T-ball Spring 2016
|
I
took this one from Psalm 118:24. Here David declares, “This is the day the Lord
has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” There are so many ways to go with
this great passage. For starters, David, called a “man after God’s own heart,”
talked to himself…I’m just saying. But what I love most is that David clearly
made a choice to have a good attitude. When one of us is having a tough time
getting out the door in the morning with a positive mindset another will begin
to chant this phrase, and as we all finish it together you can feel the mood
starting to change. (And yes, I said chant. We say this one with a lot of
gusto! Makes it more fun and even harder to resist the change in outlook.)
3)
“You
can’t make bad decisions and expect good things to happen.”
Ok,
so this one is pretty self-explanatory, but it is a great one. I think it is
really important to teach our kids that they have a choice in their behavior
and that their choices lead to consequences (positive or negative). I want my
kids to understand that any negative consequence they may receive is a direct
result of their poor choice, not simply a result of mommy getting upset.
4)
“Your
most important job is to obey.”
This
one comes from Ephesians 6:1, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this
is right.” For obvious reasons this is one of the first scriptures we taught
our kids. J
It is important that they know they have a job, given to them by God. This is
not something we parents just made up to make them do what we want. J Furthermore, we teach
them that God says, “If you love me you will obey me.” (John
14:15) So they know that obeying mommy and daddy is obeying what God has
told them to do, and obeying God is how we
show Him our love. We also teach the
kids that while their most important job is to obey, we have been given the
very important job to teach them to obey. (Thus the consequences mentioned
above.) So when a bad choice is made or a direct order is disobeyed and
correction is needed we always preface it by asking, “What is your most
important job?” To which they always respond (usually with a terribly pitiful
pout), “To obey.”
 |
| Mommy and baby Mikaela |
5)
“No
means No.”
And
the first shall be last…this is undoubtedly the first catch phrase I taught my
babies. Before they could speak, they could understand. If Mommy said, “No,”
and they continued on with the activity I would gently yet firmly take their
little hand in mine, get down on their level, look them in the eyes and say, “No
means no.” If the behavior persisted, the process would repeat and the mantra
would be followed by a swat on the hand.
This phrase transitioned well into
the toddler years when what we refer to as “challenging” became an issue. If
Holden were to ask for something in a store, and I said, “No,” and he challenged
me with, “Pleeeeaaassssseee….” I would turn and look at him and firmly ask, “What
does no mean?” To which he would respond (with the most adorable pout you’ve
ever seen), “No means no.” And more times than not that was the end of it. (As
a side note: Consistency is key to that being the end of it. If sometimes the
challenging can wear you down enough to cause you to cave then they will take
that chance every time! But that’s a post for another day. J )
We’ll stop at 5 for now, but rest assured there are plenty more.
J
I hope you’ll give these phrases a try in your home and see
what a difference they can make for you and your family!
Bonus: Mommy Magic
Wanted to leave you with one of my personal favorites, which
most likely came from my own underlying desire to drive my kids just a little
bit crazy! J
Anytime one of my kids asks in awe and wonder, “How did you do that?” or, “How
did you know that?”, All I have to do is get that glint in my eye, and Mikaela,
having heard my predictable response enough by now, will roll her eyes and mockingly
say, as only a 7 going on 17 year old can, “I know. I know. Mommy Magic.”
 |
| Family Selfie while hiking in Washington state this past summer Find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/themommycall And Follow my Video Blogs on my YouTube Channel by clicking HERE |
