We've entered a difficult stage my friends. Dealing with that "S" word! Yup, I said it. SHARING. Now that Kyla is officially mobile, she wants to get into everything Kinsleigh is doing. And I don't know how to help alleviate some of the stress of this situation. I feel like I am constantly nagging to share. But sharing is such a very hard concept to learn and it doesn't really get fully understood until much later in life. So I'm in a pickle. You don't get training in this kind of stuff in "Multiple Children 101." There is part of me that is so frustrated because Kinsleigh tells Kyla"no" constantly and rips everything out of her hands but then another part of me that says, "Word girl! You do need some of your own space!" Kyla is a little magnet. And that can be annoying to me even, so I totally can see where the three year old frustration is coming from. But at the same time, sweet Kyla just wants to be a part of her sisters world. And Kinsleigh absolutley adores her but just like all siblings, not ALL the time. So I ask you others of multiple children...what methods work best for your family? I want to teach the idea of sharing but don't want to feel like I'm constantly shoving it down her throat. Trying to distract Kyla with something else, say another toy, doesn't work either because she only wants to be doing what Kinsleigh is doing and will switch activities the moment she does. I need advice because the "mommy voice" is hurtin!
The "S" word
We've entered a difficult stage my friends. Dealing with that "S" word! Yup, I said it. SHARING. Now that Kyla is officially mobile, she wants to get into everything Kinsleigh is doing. And I don't know how to help alleviate some of the stress of this situation. I feel like I am constantly nagging to share. But sharing is such a very hard concept to learn and it doesn't really get fully understood until much later in life. So I'm in a pickle. You don't get training in this kind of stuff in "Multiple Children 101." There is part of me that is so frustrated because Kinsleigh tells Kyla"no" constantly and rips everything out of her hands but then another part of me that says, "Word girl! You do need some of your own space!" Kyla is a little magnet. And that can be annoying to me even, so I totally can see where the three year old frustration is coming from. But at the same time, sweet Kyla just wants to be a part of her sisters world. And Kinsleigh absolutley adores her but just like all siblings, not ALL the time. So I ask you others of multiple children...what methods work best for your family? I want to teach the idea of sharing but don't want to feel like I'm constantly shoving it down her throat. Trying to distract Kyla with something else, say another toy, doesn't work either because she only wants to be doing what Kinsleigh is doing and will switch activities the moment she does. I need advice because the "mommy voice" is hurtin!
Where we stand- part two
The current method we use to measure daily behavior. (I know the second "I" is a 1 but I couldn't find another one of my I's!) She earns a letter of her name for every time she makes good choices. Loses one for when she makes a bad one. At the end of the day, if she earns all her letters, she gets something special. Been doing this for a couple months now and it still actually works.
Well, we finally had the long awaitedappointment with the pediatric pschologist yesterday. Loved the place. Had a very "kid friendly" environment in the waiting area but for some reason Kinsleigh just wasn't a fan of the woman's actual office. Something in there bothered her a bit and she was completely quiet and played with a little dollhouse without a peep for an entire hour! Which actually ended up being ok! Through all the issues we discussed with her, she said there are definitely several red flags that could possibly fall under a " pervasive disorder." Not a fun thing to hear, but obviously I was somewhat expecting to hear it considering it was the reason I was taking her there in the first place. Since she is only 3 and her different behaviors, such as her irrational fears, are so spontaneous she said there really wasn't much she could do for her counseling wise YET. Things would just have to be watched over time until she gets slightly older before a diagnosis couldprobably be made. (we don't want her getting stuck with the wrong "label" ever). BUT the good news from the meeting is this...she is going to counsel ME/Sean! Yeah, didn't know they would even do that! And honestly, more so right now, I think that is what we need. Her improvement at this current time can only come from what we do to help her and we need ideas to know how to do that properly. Also meeting with someone monthly will help us together try to see if she follows some type of pattern in her behavior. Starting at the new year, I began keeping a diary on her. Her mood, amount of discipline we have to use, new fears, amount of sleep, eating habits, quirky behaviors, change of habits, EVERYTHING we can think of, each and every day. I'm already starting to see some possible common ties. I stated on I believe Monday or Tuesday that we had been having the best week to week and a half that we had had in months! Only to discover a new tiny fear on Tuesday afternoon ( which she actually got over pretty quickly) but her behavior hasn't been the same as it had been for those consecutive dayssince. Coincidence maybe, but that will be for us to figure out. I believe that the enemy is lurking at our door and he knows when we are experiencing extreme happiness, and he will do everything is his power to destroy that. Yeah well, wait until he finds out he can't win. Our girls are our everything and I don't care what they go through or may possibly get " diagnosed" with. We are going to make sure they live a life of happiness. That is within what's in our control. And that happens by daily not only telling, but showing thm that they are deeply loved.Not only by us, but by their Daddy, Jesus Christ.
Well, we finally had the long awaitedappointment with the pediatric pschologist yesterday. Loved the place. Had a very "kid friendly" environment in the waiting area but for some reason Kinsleigh just wasn't a fan of the woman's actual office. Something in there bothered her a bit and she was completely quiet and played with a little dollhouse without a peep for an entire hour! Which actually ended up being ok! Through all the issues we discussed with her, she said there are definitely several red flags that could possibly fall under a " pervasive disorder." Not a fun thing to hear, but obviously I was somewhat expecting to hear it considering it was the reason I was taking her there in the first place. Since she is only 3 and her different behaviors, such as her irrational fears, are so spontaneous she said there really wasn't much she could do for her counseling wise YET. Things would just have to be watched over time until she gets slightly older before a diagnosis couldprobably be made. (we don't want her getting stuck with the wrong "label" ever). BUT the good news from the meeting is this...she is going to counsel ME/Sean! Yeah, didn't know they would even do that! And honestly, more so right now, I think that is what we need. Her improvement at this current time can only come from what we do to help her and we need ideas to know how to do that properly. Also meeting with someone monthly will help us together try to see if she follows some type of pattern in her behavior. Starting at the new year, I began keeping a diary on her. Her mood, amount of discipline we have to use, new fears, amount of sleep, eating habits, quirky behaviors, change of habits, EVERYTHING we can think of, each and every day. I'm already starting to see some possible common ties. I stated on I believe Monday or Tuesday that we had been having the best week to week and a half that we had had in months! Only to discover a new tiny fear on Tuesday afternoon ( which she actually got over pretty quickly) but her behavior hasn't been the same as it had been for those consecutive dayssince. Coincidence maybe, but that will be for us to figure out. I believe that the enemy is lurking at our door and he knows when we are experiencing extreme happiness, and he will do everything is his power to destroy that. Yeah well, wait until he finds out he can't win. Our girls are our everything and I don't care what they go through or may possibly get " diagnosed" with. We are going to make sure they live a life of happiness. That is within what's in our control. And that happens by daily not only telling, but showing thm that they are deeply loved.Not only by us, but by their Daddy, Jesus Christ.
A Dream Week
I just have to share that this past week has been a true blessing sent from above! Our battles with Kinsleigh have been out of this world but out of nowhere this week, we have had the best multiple days in a row than we have had in a LONG time. Our disciplining with her has been at a minimal (the typical for any 3 year old), her imagination has been running wild in her play time, and she has been the most loving, playful, big sister she could possibly be. I believe in the power of prayer and know that is what is making the difference. People in diligent prayer. So thank you, yet again. We are continuing to seek what troubles her and will keep updates coming as we know, but I also know that God can heal her out of nowhere if he wants to and she can be like any other 3 year old her age. If not, he's got another purpose and she's gonna rock it! I'm doing everything in my power to get her the help she needs but I still have hope for the other...
Happy New Year!
2012 has finally arrived! I know we're all so excited we could barely stand it with all the hype of it being the last year of us here on earth and all! Let me give you some information that you can rest assured in. The world will not be ending December 21, 2012. Why do I know this? Because the Bible told me so! =)"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:35-36
So there ya go! The Bible does not lie! Therefore there is NO POSSIBLE WAY it can be that day! Otherwise, we would be making God out to be a liar! But just discussing this whole theory got me thinking, "what if we all could really know the last day of our existence? What would that be like?" Sean and I discussed this question on our way home from church this morning (this is where our best conversations always take place) and not only did I find our difference of responses quite humorous but I also realized just how naive I really am.
He explained how the world would be complete chaos and out of control. Theft and crime would sky rocket because there would be no consequences for your actions. Basically we would be living like "Grand Theft Auto" is how he put it.
My response was that all the airports would be too busy because we would all want to squeeze in all our last minute vacations to all the places we always wanted to go. Oh how I wish this world could be pure enough that that would be all that happened. Unfortunately, it's not and I believe Sean's prediction is much more accurate.
But anyway, all that being said, truth is we have no idea when the end will be so we should be living our life "right" and in the path of righteousness at all times. So instead of worrying about the end or making unrealistic goals or resolutions for yourself this year, make it a goal to live solely for Christ. That's it. Sure, lose weight if you want to, make it a point to call your grandmother more, all those sorts of things are good too! But the only thing that is GREATER and will last for all eternity is your relationship with Christ! So in 2012, OWN IT!
(And just as a little side note, a teeny tiny goal I have for myself is to finally get Kyla in my blog photo! I think procrastination could be my middle name)
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