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Our firstborn, Emahry, was not a good sleeper. In fact, I’m fairly certain she didn’t sleep through the night consistently until after her second birthday.
When people would ask me if she slept through the night, I would reply, “No, she’s just a really bad sleeper.”
Then, when Emahry was 16 months old, we had another baby. And would you know it–he was a bad sleeper, too!
Finally, when our third baby started showing the same “bad sleeper” signs at a few months old, we admitted it…our kids weren’t bad sleepers, we were simply bad sleep trainers.
Parenting is tough and we sure find ourselves making a lot of mistakes. Thankfully, we’ve figured out a few things along the way and and I’m happy to report that as I type this our fourth child is happily falling asleep in her bed.
Aren’t you glad your heavenly Father doesn’t have to figure out this whole parenting thing? When it comes to children of God, there are no guinea pigs!
He knows exactly what he’s doing and how to uniquely handle each individual heart. He intimately knows our personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and what we need before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). Remember, his hands knit us together and hold us together still.
Lord, I’m so glad you know exactly what you’re doing. I know I’m often at a loss when it comes to parenting the children you have blessed me with. Please, give me wisdom as I seek your will in this area. Help me to be teachable and to focus on pleasing you with how I’m helping to raise these little ones.
What is one thing you think you need to reevaluate in how you’re raising your children? What steps can you take today to grow in this area?
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Glad you are getting some sleep and thankful you are brave enough to admit you learned it the fourth time. Sure you aren’t the only one.
What a lovely nest you have with those sweet kids. Nice to meet you through Tell His Story.
Shelly Miller recently posted..When You Want to Give Up
Thank you for your sweet comment.
“There’s no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let others get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.” source
Here’s to being brave and encouraging other to do the same.
Funny you should write about this now. I am going through the same thing with my second child right now. I am also realizing that I am falling into the same routine I had with my first child, and he will be three next month, and is still a bad sleeper.
It’s so easy to fall into a rut with parenting. Praying that you’ll find something different that will be a blessing to your family.
He never fails, does He. That truth is so comforting when we are in need of Him, when we fail, when we are not enough. I’m so glad God is willing to be my everything.
Dawn recently posted..Defining Sexy: One Secret to a Long-Lasting Marriage
You’re right, it is so comforting to know that God is always with us.
By the way, I love your Defining Sexy post
4 must be the magic learning number, lol. My almost 3 year old still isn’t consistantly sleeping through the night, but my almost 1 year old (and 4th) I’ve got putting himself to sleep most nights and at nap time. I thought it was a miracle!
Adelina Priddis recently posted..17 Cents and A Dream by Daniel Milstein {Book Review}
I’m hoping we’ll remember what we did differently when #5 (due July) gets here
oh good luck! I think the Lord knew I couldn’t handle many more sleepless nights, and played a hand in helping.
Adelina Priddis recently posted..17 Cents and A Dream by Daniel Milstein {Book Review}
So reassuring to know that God’s Got It. No guinea pigs!
Loved that. Really delighted to have you joining us for #TellHisStory. Keep telling the story. Your words matter to God, and they matter to us!
Thank you so much for your encouragement!
sleep is so important and with four little ones~you need it. so thankful God is at work in our lives.
Keep up the God work.
Lori Poppinga recently posted..Thought for the Day #61-68
Thank you for stopping by and encouraging me with your words.
I have 5 kids aged between almost 15 down to 18 months – and I’m still leaning. I cringe when I hear the term “parenting expert”. My hardest thing is setting aside one on one time and dealing with them as different people be ause they are different and what works for one is wrong for another.
Mel recently posted..This Is Me – My Reflection
I agree completely. It’s so easy to slip into the rut of trying to parent them all exactly the same, but they are all individuals and must be loved and trained in different ways. Praying for grace for all of us along this parenting journey.
Delightful, precious photos!
We had to break some bad sleep habits with our first adopted. It was hard. I’m so glad God has no guinea pigs. And I’m in awe at how He puts us in families for a purpose–no surprises to Him. Thanks for linking with Still Saturday. Hope you’re able to find a bit of quiet this weekend.
Sandra Heska King recently posted..still saturday: slow down
Thank you for your link-up and for stopping by to say hello. It’s amazing how God teaches us so much about life and about himself through the process of parenting.
We had a hard learning curve on our first business of sleep training too…. Right now, I am learning to sustain my patience when I am completely overwhelmed! Love your site. I will join you on Facebook.
susan recently posted..Living in His Glory