How to Love Your Toddler or Preschooler

When my child was a toddler and preschooler, I went through a time of guilt. Why was it so hard to love my own child?!!! Of course, I did love my child, but this one was such a handful, it was a constant frustration to me and I was dealing with one crisis after another! I didn’t know how to love my toddler or preschooler!

What Do You Do With a Terrible Three Year Old?

Series on “How to Love Your Children”: Read Them All!

Feel like a failure? Tweens and teens aren’t listening? Kids addicted to social media? Or maybe you are! Things out of control? Do you crave connection, yet feel alone, even when together? Here’s help from someone who’s been there on how to get out. Click the image below and buy my Ebook, “A 2020 Vision For Raising Godly Kids” now!

Your Home For God, a-2020-vision-for-raising-godly-kids-button

Let Me Tell You Stories of The Child I Learned to Love

I went to the Lord and asked Him for His help. Cried out to Him. I felt so guilty, and didn’t know what to do. My Gracious Heavenly Father, Who always hears my cry, answered me in a most interesting way.

Why was it so hard to love my own child?!!!

I should share with you some of the things this child (when a toddler or preschooler) was doing (that I can remember, of course!–if you are going through this stage with your child, DO write down all the things they do, because, quite to your surprise, you won’t remember them all!) I had quite amusing Christmas letters during those years, with a story or two thrown into each one!

Your Home For God, generous-character-quality-card

Generous (Character Quality card from Set of 30 Character Quality Cards)

This Child Was The One Who:

Put honey on the cat’s fur to see if it would make it sweeter.
Caught a baby killdeer bird and let it loose in our house, while the mama bird screamed outside for hours!
Carved into the windowsill a picture of a horse.
Wrote their name on the back of the closet wall in big letters.
Got into their mother’s purse and somehow opened up the Tylenol bottle (while Mom frantically tried to remember how many were inside, and figure out if this child had eaten any and how many!)
Got ahold of a 16-ounce cup (without a cover) of Coke and spilled it all over the carpet

These are just some of the more memorable incidents. There were many more, and I have just forgotten them. And, as you can see, it was mostly childish immaturity, lots of energy, and a very creative imagination!

How To Prepare a Toddler or Preschooler for Kindergarten

Looking Back I Was The One Needing Training, Not The Toddler or Preschooler

God was training more than one child, it would seem. He was in the process of training me in a big way. Nothing my toddler or preschooler did was really out of the ordinary. It was just that I didn’t possess very much patience. I didn’t know the first thing about love. I needed training in how to love.

Your Home For God, character-evaluation-form-button

You can grow Godly character in your family, but you have to know where you’re at first, and evaluate character, to know if you’ve improved! Here is a tool to use to begin Character Evaluation in your family! This Character Evaluation Form, in conjunction with the Character Evaluation Questions, both of which you can get FREE here, will help you begin to talk with your children about what Godly character is and evaluate character together, to achieve the goal that is so important to you–Raising Godly Kids!

Each of us has a character that needs training. We do, as parents, and our children do, too. We can be oblivious to our own need for character-training, at times. God will bring situations and incidents, people and problems into our lives to bring out the glaring fact of our character-deficiency, in His most Loving Fatherly way, of course. I think that’s what was happening here. I thought it was my toddler’s problem, but it was really mine. I needed to grow, spiritually.

What Does My Toddler or Preschooler Need Most From Me?

God had made this child in a one-of-a-kind, unique way, with a very special purpose, and everything that this child did was just a reflection of that special way He had created them. One day, as I was observing this child, God pulled back the curtains on His creation process and showed me a little peek into what He was doing. As I watched, a thought came to me: “This must have been just what my mother-in-law was like as a toddler.”

My mother-in-law is no longer with us, but she was an amazing woman. Her ability to create, serve, and work, was beyond anyone I’ve known before or since. God gifted her with energy, stamina, perseverance, and creativity all wrapped up in a tiny 5’1” dynamo of a woman! Her love for the Lord and love to serve meant she never stopped! She raised 6 children–she had 5 in 7 years–and worked side-by-side with her husband on a productive dairy farm. It would take a book to tell of all she did in her 90+ years on earth!

Help! How Do I Love My Toddler?

Besides all this, she had a very unique mindset about illness: when she was sick, she worked harder!

So, this was the gene pool that this child before my eyes (toddler or preschooler) came out of, and as I looked at the boundless creative energy in this child, God gave me at that moment the ability to see the amazing adult this child was potentially going to become–a productive, energetic, creative, fruitful, amazing servant of God! And, all this energy was going to be a GOOD thing someday:)

God had made this child in a one-of-a-kind, unique way, with a very special purpose, and everything that this child did was just a reflection of that special way He had created them.

That was my answer from God on how to love my toddler (or preschooler–I can’t remember how old they actually were, and honestly, it took me awhile to learn this lesson.) Look at the person they will become, and keep that vision in the forefront of your mind. Don’t lose heart, don’t give up, keep on praying, being the example of the Godly person you want to see them become, and by all means keep on training!

Check out this video! Parenting, Example, and Training (PET) in Parenting. Click Here!

Feel like a failure? Tweens and teens aren’t listening? Kids addicted to social media? Or maybe you are! Things out of control? Do you crave connection, yet feel alone, even when together? Here’s help from someone who’s been there on how to get out. Click the image below and buy my Ebook, “A 2020 Vision For Raising Godly Kids” now!

Your Home For God, Get-your-free-library-of-pretty-printable-scripture-cards-button

Click to Get YourFree Library of Pretty Printable Scripture Cards. Use them all over your house to draw your family closer to the Lord!

Series on “How to Love Your Children”: Read Them All!

Have a Great Week Making Your Home For God!

P.S. Get my New Video Course, “Raising Godly Kids”! Use Coupon Code HALFOFF to get 50% off the price through the end of March 2020! This course could be life-changing for you and your family!

Don’t forget to Subscribe to get your Free set of Character Quality Cards, (see below for one example) and Pretty Printable Scripture Cards that coordinate!

Click here to Get your copy of My EBook for the Help You Need Raising Godly Kids, “A 2020 Vision For Raising Godly Kids”!

I help overwhelmed moms grow spiritually with joy in who God uniquely created them and their family to be, raise Godly children, without comparing, copying, or coveting, and get their lives organized for God’s glory, through Mentorship, Ebooks, Courses, and Coaching.

Join my Facebook Group: Make Your Home For God Facebook Group, for Like-minded encouragement and sharing! @facebook.com/groups/paradisepraisescommunity

You can also find me Here: Please follow, Share and subscribe!

Click to Share this on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter. You might also like my Facebook live videos. Follow my Pinterest Boards: Spiritual Life, Encouraging Words, Homemaking, Parenting and Homeschooling on Pinterest. You’ll find helpful info for your home and family. Let me know what you’re struggling with. I’m praying!