I was so encouraged by the comments and advice I received in response to my post yesterday. It made dropping Jackson off for his first day of school much easier and I realize it won’t be the end of the world if he chunks another truck at one of his classmates (although I pray he doesn’t).
I took every word of advice to heart yesterday and several things really stuck with me. As I prayed and dug into God’s word, here is what my heart is telling me about loving and raising this strong-willed Little Man.
Keep praying – cause I don’t have the strength to do it on my own. It doesn’t matter if Jackson was the easiest kid around, I am not meant to be his mommy in my own strength. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Verse eight goes on to say, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
I also have the promise found in Isaiah 40:11, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have young.”
One reader suggested that we replace the word No (when appropriate) with another phrase such as “Can we make a better choice?” or “Please don’t do that.” I really love this idea – once again, I don’t want no to be the only word Jackson hears coming from my mouth – and some days it feels like I say it a lot.
Yesterday I made a conscience effort to replace no with more positive comments. I still said no, but not near as much. I think as Jackson gets older, this is going to be a good thing for us.
The majority of those who offered feedback said I need to give Jackson choices. I love this idea! However, I don’t think we are in a place to do that quite yet. We recently found out Jackson has a bit of a speech delay and until he can verbalize better, I’m not sure giving him choices will work. But this is on my list of things to implement once he’s talking more.
Above all else, it comes down to consistency. My mom said it, my best friends said it, and so did many of my readers. I have to keep at it, even when I want to pull my hair out. I can’t give up because it will take time for Jackson to catch on, but when he does it will be good for both of us.
I’m also encouraged by John 16:13, which says, “But when he, the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
All I have to do is ask. God will give me wisdom. He says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
I am thankful for this morning and the memories made. I was totally one of those moms. You know, I took first day of pre-school photos (and I might have even prayed that my strong-willed boy would let me get at least a few good ones). I packed his lunch and even tucked a note inside – because of course my 20-month-old will always remember my words of affirmation on his first day of school. John may have thought it was a bit extreme. 😉
We hugged him, told him we loved him and handed him to his teacher. We went right to her and then he squirmed to get down so he could play. Only when some of the other kids starting crying did Jackson cry. I know he is going to love school when he adjusts to it. The hardest part for him is going to be not being able to snooze around 10:00 each morning.
Here’s a few photos from this morning! Jackson’s friend Ellie is going to school and they walked in with their backpacks holding hands. Is this not the cutest?
And here’s one of our family! We sure love this boy to pieces!
