Dear Jenn,

Could I ask you for a piece of advice? My daughter is already attending playgroup . I’m amazed at an early age that she learned a lot like eating independently, wearing her slippers properly, and a lot more things that an ordinary 2 year old cannot do yet. Today, her teacher spoke to me about my daughter beating her classmate. Honestly i don’t want to make excuses for my daughter though i told her teacher that she won’t hit anyone if she was not provoked but still I know that it’s wrong to hit or hurt someone. I was convicted of my actions. Because nowadays, I’ve been disciplining her too much. And sometimes because I have a lot on my plate, I really get impatient with her and shout at her. I can’t help but think that my own behavior has caused my daughter to be aggressive towards another. My husband told me to keep my daughter company first in the playgroup and if her behavior doesn’t improve, we will pull her out of playgroup first. Thank you very much!

From,
Mommy XX

Dear Mommy XX,

Playgroup is nice because it can bring out the best in our children. You saw how it brought out the best in your daughter… she learned to be independent and did all those great things a normal 2 yr old still couldn’t do. In the same breath, playgroup can also bring out the worst in them. When our kids are put in situations where they need to relate with other kids, their tendency to sin usually shows up. There will be situations that will push them to do what is wrong like grab toys, or push, or shout or hurt other kids. When your child does something wrong, DON’T OVER REACT. You don’t need to blow it up and feel so terrible about it because all kids make mistakes. Your child is not defined by one misbehavior. The important thing is you use the opportunity to teach her what is right and wrong. As your child gets older, you can start using opportunities like this one to teach her about man’s sinful nature and why we need Jesus to help us do the right thing.

As a mom too, there are times when i get so impatient with my kids. You don’t know how often that is. I have 4 remember? It is not always easy to discipline them the right way especially when we are so stressed. I’m glad my husband is here to partner with me too. When my kids misbehave, I also take time to evaluate my parenting because, you are right, the way we discipline them really has an effect on them. If God is exposing some things in your heart, then ask Him to help you make the necessary adjustments.  Apart from the grace of God, we really cannot do it the right way. Thank God He is always there to help us!

I hope this was helpful!

Jenn