Consistency...It's the Key!

I've been trying to think of a word that completely describes what parents can do to raise "stick-to-it" kids. Consistency! Let me give an example:

I made 15 bean soup with bread the other night for dinner. My younger children seem to have the tendency to eat the things they want to eat and skip the food that "looks yucky". (My older children were the same way but because of CONSISTENCY, there is no issue with them.) I've learned over the years to give them the "yucky" item first and once that's eaten or at least given a chance, they are given the bread or fruit or whatever it may be. Getting back to dinner...my three year old son didn't want to eat his soup. He wanted bread! I told him after he ate his soup he could have his bread. Of course he fussed about it but I stuck to my guns. I was in the kitchen pouring drinks when I turn around and there is my little boy eating bread, not soup. The sneaky little guy that he is, he snatched a piece of bread when I wasn't looking. Now, here's the moment of truth:  Do you let him keep the bread and say oh well, snicker a bit at how sneaky he is or slightly scold but let him keep it, OR take it away and say he can have it when he finishes or makes a significant effort to eat his soup? I did the latter. Yes, he cried. Yes, it interrupted our dinner time, but I explained that he could have it back after he ate his soup. Guess what....he ate his soup. He sat there nicely and ate bite after bite until it was gone and then he asked for his bread of which I was more than happy to give him.

The bread is not the issue. Obedience is the issue. Training your child to follow instructions is the issue. Next time, he'll know he can't have his bread until his soup's gone and more importantly, that I WON'T CAVE OR GIVE IN, that I'll be CONSISTENT, and the battle will not be as tough as it was the first time. Over time, it will be easier until it is no longer an issue. This principle can be applied to any aspect of parenting.

It may seem like a small thing, but it trains the child to be obedient, which is the first step to responsibility, dependability, honesty, reliability...basically, being a "stick-to-it" child. Your consistency as a parent, if used properly, will bear children who are consistent. What a fabulous notion!

More to come...but until then, Stick-to-it!