tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492537969911121532024-03-07T20:45:03.100-08:00Toddler's ToolboxThe Toddler's Toolbox has been created to provide "tools" for raising toddlers. As parents, we are God's carpenters chosen to build our toddlers up and mold them according the blueprint that God has laid out for us. Let's hope he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant(s)!" (whew!)Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-56509469608189462892009-02-12T17:51:00.001-08:002009-03-30T12:44:18.687-07:00The Two "D's" of SpankingSeveral parents have asked the question <strong>"When should I spank my toddler?"</strong> Some wise parents once taught us the about the four "D's" for spanking - Disobedience, Deliberate Destruction, Defiance, and Disrespect...For my toddlers, I have simplified these down to two.<br /><br /><strong>Disobedience:</strong><br />Obedience means that they obey the first time - without delay, without challenge, and without excuse. Any other response gets a spanking. They are allowed to appeal - after they have obeyed - as long as they are respectful and okay with "no." We typically honor appeals when we can (if approached correctly), and in doing so, we open up channels for communication.<br /><br /><strong>Disrespect:</strong><br />Respect for mom and dad, respect for each other, and respect for the things (i.e. not deliberately destructing) that God has given us are all important. Disrespectful attitudes, haughty eyes, defiance (!), and intentional rebellion are all forms of disrespect. Respect must be modeled by mom and dad; we have learned (the hard way) that kids quickly pick up on (and imitate) disrespect between their parents.Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-41270553370775244272009-02-12T17:24:00.000-08:002009-02-12T17:47:39.094-08:00Teaching Toddlers to Please God<strong>2 Corinthians 5:9:</strong> So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.<br /><br />It can feel overwhelming with young children in the home. Some of us go through periods where we wonder if God is pleased with us. Some of us wonder if we are doing the right things to teach our children to please God. A quick study on "pleasing God" reveals a refreshing list of "simple" ways that we can teach our toddlers the art of pleasing our maker.<br /><ul><li><strong>Songs and thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30):</strong> Learn fun Bible songs together as a family. At the dinner table, have a "thank you" round where everyone shares one thing that they are thankful for. </li><li><strong>Prayers and meditation (Psalm 104:34):</strong> Pray together, thanking God for the many things he has blessed us with. Go out and see the stars together. Go for a walk in nature, talking about the many beautiful things God has made.</li><li><strong>Doing good, Sharing what we have (Hebrews 13:16):</strong> When your children do good things, when they share with their siblings or friends, remind them that this is pleasing to God. Go to a nursing home and "collect smiles" or make cards for the residents. </li><li><strong>Give gifts to those in need (Philippians 4:18):</strong> Before you get a new toy, teach your child to give an older toy to someone who would like it. As they grow out of clothes, have them help you clean them, fold them, and give them to a younger child.</li><li><strong>Increase knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10):</strong> Memorize one scripture a week with your toddler (you'll be surprised!). Keep it short. Memorize it with a familiar tune. For example, "Do not be afraid for the Lord is with you" (Isaiah 43:5) can be memorized to the tune of the first line of "Joy to the World." </li></ul>Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-57134423908406370102009-02-09T21:27:00.000-08:002009-02-09T22:41:05.147-08:00Five Lessons from ProverbsRaising our kids and helping them to know God is the most important job we have as parents. The Proverbs provide a wealth of wisdom on many topics...one of which is seeking advice and learning from the input of others. Five key lessons:<br /><br />1) Seek help (God knows we need it!)<br /><ul><li><strong>Proverbs 14:12:</strong> There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.</li><li><strong>Proverbs 18:15:</strong> The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.</li></ul>2) Advisors bring victory (Isn't this what we want for our children?)<br /><ul><li><strong>Proverbs 11:14:</strong> For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.</li><li><strong>Proverbs 25:12:</strong> Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear.</li></ul>3) Without instruction, bad things happen (to us and our kids!)<br /><ul><li><strong>Proverbs 19: 27:</strong> Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.</li><li><strong>Proverbs 21:16:</strong> A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead.</li></ul>4) Without instruction, you hurt others (including your children!)<br /><ul><li><strong>Proverbs 10:17: </strong>He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.</li></ul>5) Without instruction, we are stupid (ouch!)<br /><ul><li><strong>Proverbs 12:1:</strong> Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. </li></ul>Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-37111193429644957802009-02-09T20:58:00.000-08:002009-02-09T21:00:49.912-08:00Boundaries with Kids<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-Kids-Henry-Cloud/dp/0310243157/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234241967&sr=8-1">Boundaries with Kids</a></em> is the help you need for raising your kids to take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, emotions. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend take you through the ins and outs of establishing family boundaries and of instilling the kind of character in your children that will help them lead balanced, productive, and fulfilling adult lives. Learn how to - set limits and still be a loving parents - bring control to an out-of-control family life - apply then ten laws of boundaries to parenting - define legitimate boundaries for your family. . .and much more. To purchase this book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-Kids-Henry-Cloud/dp/0310243157/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234241967&sr=8-1">click here</a>.Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-70177375725037587952009-02-09T20:32:00.000-08:002009-02-09T20:42:33.734-08:00Discovering your Toddler's Love LanguageHave you ever wondered whether your child feels loved? Do you wonder why one child responds differently to your displays of love than another? In his book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Children/dp/1881273652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234240511&sr=1-1">The Five Love Languages of Children</a></em>, Gary Chapman provides us with insight into the different love languages of children, and gives us the following practicals for discovering our toddler's love language:<br /><br />1) Observe how your child expresses love to you<br />2) Observe how your child expresses love to others<br />3) Listen to what your child requests most often<br />4) Listen to your child's most frequent complaints<br />5) Give your child a choice between two options<br /><br />To find out more about the love languages of children, and practicals on how to make your toddler feel loved, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Children/dp/1881273652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234240511&sr=1-1">click here</a> to order the book.Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-74625226893217757512009-02-09T20:15:00.000-08:002009-02-09T20:24:35.585-08:00Five Signs of a Loving FamilyFamily dynamics play a significant role in the development of our toddlers. In his article, <em><a href="http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/forfamilies.html">Five Signs your Family is Healthy</a></em>, Gary Chapman highlights the following five basic characteristics of a loving family:<br /><br />1) An Attitude of Service<br />2) Intimacy between Husband and Wife<br />3) Parents who Teach and Train<br />4) Children who Obey and Honor Parents<br />5) Husbands who are Loving Leaders<br /><br />(<a href="http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/forfamilies.html">More</a>...)Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-49284779071838770722009-02-09T19:54:00.000-08:002009-02-09T19:57:25.392-08:00Prayerful ParentingIn her article, <em><a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=65">Prayerful Parenting</a>, </em>Linda Brumley reminds us that "Parenting is far too big a job for us to do without God’s help. It’s inspiring to look into the Bible for examples of successful godly parents and examine the elements that contributed to their effectiveness. In II Timothy 1:5, Paul credits influences from Timothy’s mother, Lois, and his grandmother, Eunice, with imparting their faith in God to him. Later in chapter 3:14, 15, Paul declares that that faith began in Timothy’s infancy." (<a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=65">More</a>...)Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-41068227946315321262009-02-09T19:42:00.001-08:002009-02-09T19:47:49.065-08:00Teaching our Children to Love<em><a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=88">Teaching our Children to Love</a></em> by Linda Brumley is a fantastic article filled with practicals and words of wisdom.<br /><br />"Love is a natural emotion within families and yet God knew that even in intimate relationships we can’t just settle for what comes naturally, but must be taught to love (Titus 2:4). God aspires for us to have a kind of love deeper and more practical than anything we can achieve without instruction (I John 3:18)." (<a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=88">More</a>...)Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-60818413462480444922009-02-09T15:12:00.000-08:002009-02-09T15:24:27.592-08:00A Resource on Effective Discipline<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966378601/bookstorenow57-20">Shepherding a Child's Heart</a></em> by Tedd Tripp is an invaluable resource on how to effectively train the hearts of our children through communication and discipline. Tripp advocates spanking as a biblical method of discipline (and certainly one that is specifically mandated by Scripture) for correcting young children. He lays out very clear circumstances in which children should be spanked and suggests many circumstances in which parents must not spank. He makes this type of corporal punishment very deliberate and very loving. He suggests that parents must be fully in control of themselves when they spank and must not be filled with anger. Parents do not punish their children out of anger, embarrassment or retribution, but to teach children that defying authority will bring about consequences. Children must know that God demands obedience to authority and that there are consequences for defiance.Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-3381897758037556162009-02-09T14:47:00.000-08:002009-02-09T19:34:49.801-08:00Brumleys' Family Devotional SeriesThe following <strong>Family Devotional Series</strong> include some great ideas for family devotionals (links to the articles on the church website provided with the permission of Linda Brumley):<br /><br />1) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=77">Loving God</a><br />2) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=80">Love in Action: Part I</a><br />3) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=84">Love in Action: Part II</a><br />4) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=86">What Makes a House a Home?</a><br />5) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=89">Light and Darkness</a><br />6) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=93">Trading Places</a><br />7) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=104">Operation Cooperation</a><br />8) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=118">Follow the Leader</a><br />9) <a href="http://www.seattleicoc.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=123">Conversation</a>Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-11759379073414171712009-02-08T23:49:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:52:04.685-08:00Family DevotionalsThis forum is for discussions on family devotionals with our toddlers. What does the Bible say about building family? How does God want us to teach our children about him? What ideas do you have for devotionals with our toddlers?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-43531846763914348492009-02-08T23:45:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:49:24.324-08:00Marriage/Family DynamicsThis forum is for discussions on marriage/family dynamics that will provide a solid foundation for the spiritual, emotional, and physical growth and development of our toddlers. What marriage dynamics provide a healthy foundation for our toddlers? What role dynamics does God intend for our families? What communication dynamics does God intend for our families? What priorities does God have for our families?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-9907599987152554312009-02-08T23:41:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:44:37.238-08:00Seeking Input/AdviceThis forum is for discussions on seeking input and advice in parenting our toddlers. What does God say about seeking advice? What does he say about not being open to input? What are the consequences if we do not actively seek advice or are not open to input given?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-14856929006417355742009-02-08T23:37:00.001-08:002009-02-08T23:39:53.739-08:00Developing CharacterThis forum is for discussions on helping our toddlers developing strong (Godly) character. How does God develop our character? What character traits should we be developing? What character traits do we want to see in our toddlers when they are adults? How can we strategically develop these traits through our parenting?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-6817496867592706462009-02-08T23:33:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:35:21.925-08:00Effective DisciplineThis forum is for discussions on effective discipline strategies with our toddlers. How does God discipline us? For what reasons does he discipline us? What is his heart when he disciplines us? What is his goal? How can we model this in our parenting?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-16592334524761241552009-02-08T23:27:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:31:18.152-08:00Teaching and Training ToddlersThis forum is for discussions on what we should be teaching our toddlers and how we should be training them. How does God teach us? How does he train us? How can we model this in our parenting?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-34676134432022528362009-02-08T23:24:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:27:43.884-08:00Establishing BoundariesThis forum is for discussions on establishing healthy boundaries with our toddlers. In what ways does God establish boundaries with us? How can we model this in our parenting?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-849253796991112153.post-61814594155914613202009-02-08T23:15:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:30:46.502-08:00Communicating Love and DelightThis forum is for discussions on communicating love and delight to our children. How does God communicate love and delight to us? How can we model this in our parenting?Kelly Floreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10016049495879744233noreply@blogger.com0