'Begin as you mean to go'

As a new parent, I find it hard to always see the big picture beyond his immediate actions. As a little guy, it is so easy to let things slide because I can control them. And since right now it is one-on-one, it is even easier to let things slip. 

Bob and I are currently taking the third class in the Growing Kids God's Way series, also known as the Child-wise series. This class covers the "pretoddler" stage of 12 to 18 months. And last night, I think most parents in the class would agree, it was kind of a wake up call of all the things that we let slide. 

One of the most important principles of the series is the idea that we must "begin as you mean to go." The idea focuses on creating good behaviors without having to re-train or correct behaviors later. Yes, this means that you are correcting and disciplining age appropriately. For example, when Calan was 7 months, all I had to say was no to stop him from doing something that I didn't want him to be doing. However, by 10 months and the fact that he is more mobile, it takes a little more. For example if he is trying to touch something he shouldn't, I start by saying "no touch," and if that doesn't work, It is a "no touch" followed by putting his hand away from the object with a little (and I mean little) squeeze. If that still doesn't stop him, then I remove him from the object saying again "no touch." This process has gotten him to stop touching electrical cords, outlets, breakable objects on our table, etc. 

"Begin as you mean to go" is all about consistency and building upon what he has learned. 

Last night, we started to talk about the idea of strong daily structure. That basically I should have structured activities for all of his wake time. And that should be me deciding what we are doing. This idea is part of "begin as you mean to go" because later on when he has more abilities, he needs to see that I am the one deciding what we are doing. I am the parent. 

This all goes back to routine, structure, and boundaries. So, it is back to my scheduling drawing board to erase so much of his free time to replace it with more age appropriate activities. Doing some research online. I'll let you know how it goes. 

I know to some of you this is all going to seem nuts, but I really am hoping that the actions I take now will make it so much easier to add our second baby to the mix. Helping to make an unpredictable life a little more predictable helps me keep my sanity.