Best parents are those without children!

Our first born arrived 1 month shy of our 9 year anniversary. During the previous 9 years we saw many friends and family become parents and well many of those kids got pretty old. We saw all the things that we would "never" do. And could tell you all the things we would do right that these people were obviously not doing so well. All those years my husband would say "you know, the best parents are those without any children" What a little idealistic world we lived in! Now sometimes our children are bribed to get them to eat, they watch too much television on occasion. The hair is not always combed when we leave the house, their faces are not always wiped down, they throw fits in public, they throw fits in private, they interrupt adult conversation... it's life, thankfully God is gracious!

Well, some friends of ours don't yet have children, but I just got one of the best parenting tips I've gotten in a long time from her.

Use 30second bursts of attention. Get down on their level, for 30 seconds when I am preoccupied with something such as cooking or cleaning. I often throughout the day, stop, squat down, and just chat with her about what she is doing or something we might do later, or make a plan of book reading when I finish the dishes.

I've noted lots less attention seeking behavior coming from my 2 year old. She is a lot less likely to act out just for my attention and is much more content to play happily while I'm busy. Granted I really try not to parent in such a way that simply changes her behavior. When we address behavior we also point out the root causes of it, and examine her heart in the matter. So it's not that we simply want her to "act" better.... but getting the attention she needs and thrives on makes her a much more pleasant 2 year old to be around...

Who knew how far 30 seconds would get me in accomplishing her unending need for mommy's attention and affirmation?