Still on the letter N, and we have nothing to show for it. EJ is going through another stage of not wanting to do a thing except play, and I can’t figure out how to play with him and get in my “agenda.” I know he is learning things as we play, but my controlling self is having a hard time with this stage.
This post on one of my favorite crafting sites has helped me a lot today.
First I have to admit, my boys like to craft differently than me. And I have had to adjust my expectations accordingly in order to be able to craft together and enjoy our time.
I am so stuck in my ways and my own thoughts that I’m having a really hard time adjusting. Can anyone share any ways I can bend on this? I’ve mentioned this in the past, and I thought I was doing better…
Nothing at all can ever separate us from God’s love because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. Romans 8:39
On the positive side, a wonderful resource (that I’ll share about next time) gave us a great opening to teach EJ God’s Word. We are sharing verses and other things that we want him to remember at bedtime, right before he goes to sleep. It’s been a wonderful teaching time that’s becoming a part of our routine, and I am amazed at what he can remember after hearing it at bedtime for a couple of nights.
And what a wonderfully sweet time it’s been, too – snuggled together, talking about God’s love and how we can show that to others… I pray that this special time will continue!
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Leigh- I don’t have any words of wisdom for you, but I do empathize! It takes me longer to get an activity ready than it does for my 3 yo boy to do it. If he colors, it’s just with one or two crayons for a minute or so. I posted today about learning green and a sticker book we made. What you don’t see is that he got bored after the first couple pages so we have a lot of green stickers left! I’m just trying to be patient. Dr. Dobson’s book Bringing up Boys helped me a lot too. Thanks for being open and honest with your readers! I for one am there with you!
By Sandra on 02.19.09 3:21 pm | Permalink
Hey Leigh!
I think this is more common than moms like to admit because it makes us feel as if WE are doing something wrong. My girls are going through a (long, drawn out) stage of only wanting to do free art and playing pretend with each other, and we haven’t done a directed learning or craft activity in ages. I sometimes feel like a failure (especially since I too run a kids’ craft/activities site), but really, when it’s just me and them, I’m not too worried about it because I think those skills are important too.
Another great time I’ve found for teaching Bible verses and other skills is while I’m making breakfast in the morning. We recite the verses, sing songs, practice counting and our ABCs and make up silly rhymes while they’re sitting at the table or counter.
Thanks for sharing for all of the other moms who are struggling with this too!
By Mandi on 02.21.09 12:12 pm | Permalink
Hang in there!
I know one of the good things about not spending a lot of prep time on crafts is that I don’t feel bad about moving on to new things when my girl shows no interest in what we’re doing. See – I knew there were some benefits to it!
I remember making and setting up fingerpaints, which she did not want to touch, and feeling a little down about going through all that work for nothing.
By Mozi Esme's Mommy on 02.21.09 3:47 pm | Permalink
I was wondering if I ever had that problem and couldn’t find an answer until I realized I’m not expecting my son to react positively to all and every activity I suggest. I have a little cupboard full of ready to go activities and I just asks him if he wants to join in. If he doesn’t feel like cutting butterflies with cookie cutters, maybe we can punch out and paste?
My main problem is to reorganize every thing at the end of an activity before the beginning of the next one
By del4yo on 02.22.09 11:11 pm | Permalink
[...] is still going through a “no crafting” phase – especially when there is something better going on. At the conference where he was to be [...]
By ImpressYourKids » Blog Archive » Noah found favor with God on 07.16.09 7:51 pm | Permalink
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