What I Preach…
…is what I need to practice.
Here’s a sample from my conversations with Jane.
“It’s not nice to talk to your friends like that.”
“There’s a reason why you’re not allowed to [fill in the blank here]”
“Big girls don’t whine.”
“It’s okay to be sad and angry and disappointed. It’s okay to cry sometimes. It’s NOT okay to pitch a fit when you don’t get your way.”
“You need to go to bed. You’re tired and it’s been a long day. You need to get some rest.”
“Don’t interrupt when Daddy is talking. If you really need to say something, either wait until he’s finished or say, ‘Excuse me.’ ”
“It’s time to turn the TV off. You need to go play.”
“You do not get to tell [fill in the blank here] what to do. You are not [blank’s] Mommy. You are not in charge of [blank].”
“Do not talk to Daddy like that. It’s not nice to be bossy. It’s rude and hurts Daddy’s feelings.”
“I think you need to sit in time-out and think about why you just did that.”
“Do you understand what you did? Now go tell [fill in the blank] that you’re sorry and give her a hug.”
“I think it’s time for a nap. You’ll feel much better when you wake up.”
“Tell [fill in the blank] ‘Thank you for letting me come over’; and then, tell [blank], ‘Love you!’ ”
“Say ‘Please!’ ”
“Mommy loves Jane. Daddy loves Jane. But most of all, Jesus loves Jane.”
That is classic.
Love it
That was awesome! I think we could all use some of that advice.
I love it sooo much! This post made me smile.
So true!!
Uh oh - it is a little scary that things for little Jane to learn and remember would be so helpful for some very grown people…present company included!
I have often said, if I would record myself and how I can talk to my kids I would not like what I heard. It is the simple things that I say “what do you need now Morgan?” and the tone I use that is the problem. If and when she says it back to me, it sounds so disrespectful. What do you need now Mommy?