Instilling the Fear of the Lord

For all you parents out there, I am sure the discipline of your children has caused many conversations with your spouse and also many hours of study and seeking the Lord on how to best help your children grow and mature in the admonition of the Lord.

Having a child who is 2 1/2 is certainly a new experience for us (this being our firstborn), but with each new age and stage we have encountered various heart attitudes that we have had to deal with and try to be godly as well as instructive to our little sinner.

Jeremiah's latest is lying and also pushing the limits with obedience (yeah, nothing new right? Only the exhibition of it). He is lying about not pooping in his diaper even when he is straining and pushing it right then. The one aspect of his 2 1/2 year old brain that is stretching Jeremy and I, though, is that when we ask him to do something we are training him that he has one time to obey and then comes discipline. But when we ask him to say "Yes, Mama" or "Yes, Daddy" he says it with an attitude and then adds "I did it!" (also with a rebellious attitude). We are constantly having to make him resay or redo whatever it was that we asked him first... but he counters with "I did it!" and we end up arguing over whether or not what he did was acceptable.

Needless to say, this is tiring and irritating for us (the parents) and is also, I'm sure, confusing and a struggle for Jeremiah as well. Some of it, I would guess, is Jeremiah figuring out what is acceptable and what isn't (for instance, if Daddy tells him to stand up while talking to Daddy, Jeremiah will stand on one leg and say "Is this standing?")... but the whole point is to have a respectful child who understands the importance of obeying because God says so... and also more than just saying "You disobeyed Mama and Daddy" it is more important to stress his sin that that he "Disobeyed God."

It is a major ordeal trying to figure out how all this talking and concepts fits into the discipline process. We, ultimately, are not looking for behavior modification (although, good behavior is much desired) but a child who desires to obey God and respects his parents as a result.

Much prayer and much consistency is needed... also encouragement. If any of you experienced parents have suggestions or admonition, I'd love to hear it!