Persistent and Consistent

When my daycare parents are 'interviewing me' to decide if they want me to be in charge of their most precious gifts from God, they often ask what type of discilpline policy I use. Recently, I have begun answering, "Persistent and Consistent". These two elements I find very important in training a child in the way they should go.

Too often parents give up. Let's face it. We get tired! They say kids need to hear things 1000 times before it actually registers and becomes a part of what they know and do. I would have to take issue with this factoid as it pertains to some of the various children I've watched over the past 13 years. I know my own children are about at their limits for things like 'clean your room' and keep your hands to yourself'. I actually had to revise that last on to be 'keep your body parts to yourself' since my inventive youngsters began using their feet and heads to infringe on the personal space of those around them.

But the fact remains: we tend to want to give up. Unfortunately, kids don't. They will do what works for them, and if they think they can wear you down, they will. THEY know how to be persistent, so we need to be persistent-er. I always laugh at parents who give in after a long bout of wailing, because all they have taught their children is that they CAN be worn down. If they are persistent enough, they will get their way. We build endurance in them much the way a runner trains and goes a greater distance every day so he can run further and further without tiring.

The other key factor is consistency. If you don't enforce the same rules the same way every time, the child won't know what to expect. How can we know what is right and wrong when we get conflicting signals from the one who MADE the rules? Sure, situations change, but all in all, the basic rules should remain the same.

Can God relate to us? I think so. He sees that He needs to be persistent and consistent. He knows that all of His rules are written down for us so we know what to expect. He is persistent in His pursuit of us and His love for us. As His children, have we learned persistence? Do we seek Him in this way? After 1000 times of praying, has it become a habit? Has it become part of who we are? Are we consistent? Do we do the same thing each time we seek Him? Do we kneel when we pray? Do we quiet ourselves and remove ourselves from distraction (which is funny, because as I write this, I have someone in 'time out', the radio going...albeit Christian radio....and am listening to two boys running Hot Wheels into my wall!) What are our habits as they pertain to our relationship with Christ?

We won't succeed all of the time. We all fail in our pursuit to be the perfect parent. Luckily, I know the One who does not fail , and with His parenting skills to guide me, I might just turn out alright!