Don't want to forget . . .

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lead not on your own understandings. In all of your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your path straight!"

"If you are lacking wisdom, ask the Lord, for He gives generously without fault to those who ask!"

******* STEFANY, DO NOT FORGET THESE TRUTHS! *********

I just want to take a couple of minutes to jot down God's faithfulness to me in this last week.

As a first-time mom, I find myself constantly thinking, "Holy smokes! Am I doing this right? Am I totally ruining Jordan forever? Am I way off base here???"

This past week, DISCIPLINE has been heavy on my heart. Yuck. Most of us hate that word. However, I know (both as a teacher and a child of God) that godly discipline is done in LOVE with one's best interests in mind.

So . . . it's been pretty obvious for the last month or so that Jordan is showing some defiance to Nate and I's authority. Yes, he is extremely sweet and beautiful and wonderful and lovely and scrumptously adorable, but he is also developing a very strong opinion on why he should get to be in charge of ALL THINGS at ALL TIMES. :)

I have been praying specifically for several days now about DISCIPLINE, asking God for some clarity and wisdom as to how to train Jordan in righteousness, full of grace and truth.

My prayers went something like this:

"HELP ME, LORD!!!! I'M CLUELESS HERE!!! I NEED YOUR WISDOM TO KNOW HOW TO HELP JORDAN LEARN TO OBEY!" (I know, very spiritual prayer.) :)

So, I want to record here that GOD HAS ANSWERED MY PRAYER (or begun a long process of revealing parental wisdom, I should say).

I would like to recommend Dr. Dobson's book The New Dare to Discipline. Now, like any book, I do not agree with every single concept, but I can tell you that (so far) I have found this book to be the most helpful in PRACTICAL discipline for my 18-month-old.

After discussing some things with Nate, taking some of Dobson's ideas (and tweaking them to fit our family) I am so excited to say that I really feel like God has answered my plea for wisdom!

It is so nice to have a "plan" now, so that when Jordan starts to throw a temper tantrum, I am able to proactively handle his misbehavior and redirect him, all in firm, but gracious love.

Please note: You may read this book and absolutely disagree with Dobson's strategies, and that is totally fine. Again, use what works best for your child/family. You know your child (obviously) way better than anyone else.

I just wanted to write this down before I forgot . . .

Thank you, God, for answering my prayer! And, I'm sure the prayer for wisdom in parenting will continue daily for the next 18+ years! :)