Teach Your Children to Be Competent

Little Bundle of Joy in the toy box. He's still learning how to put toys away properly!

“And of course, once that child’s feet reach the floor, he should always be carrying something for you, getting something for you, and generally not being a leech on society.”

This is my favorite line from a blog post that was shared by a friend of mine today. The post, from Like Mother, Like Daughter: What can children do? A Guide, talks about the importance of helping your children to become competent people.

Last weekend, BP and I helped take care of our friends’ three boys, ages 6ish, 5ish and 3ish (or something like that — you get the idea). These kids were overall well behaved, respectful and polite (yes, they had their moments — they are boys, after all!). Even the youngest knew how to clean up after himself and put things away — he knew it was expected of him. Their parents have set clear expectations, taught them how to do what they are expected to do and enforced those expectations. It was really nice to see confirmation that consistent parenting really does work in the long run.

Recently, I’ve been struggling with appropriate levels of expectation for my Little Bundle of Joy. He is 14 months old, and some days, I really just want to let him play in the dog’s food and water bowls so that I don’t have to tell him “no” one more time — and then pretend to ignore the tantrum that includes throwing himself on the floor moments later. But, last weekend was a great reminder that if we stay consistent and set expectations early, Little Bundle of Joy eventually will understand what BP and I expect of him.

The Bible, too, tells us this is true: Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Like my friend SB told me today, it is only by the grace of God that our children turn out as well as they do!