Being patient with your toddler

Patience. Isn't it sad that often we lose patience with the people that are closest to us? I love my sweet curly haired blue-eyed toddler, but no matter how cute she is or how great my love for her is, I still have moments where I am not patient with her. I hate seeing how my words, tone or actions crush her little spirit when I am impatient.
I am such a work in progress, especially when it comes to being a mother. I fail every single day and am so grateful for the grace of Jesus in my life that allows me to pick back up and try again. I am learning that patience (and the other qualities essential for mothering a toddler) are mastered through these two key elements: prayer and perspective.

Prayer: I begin each day with a prayer that the Lord will fill me with His spirit. After all, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Without being filled up with Christ every single day, I don't have the ability to be patient, loving and kind to my daughter. So when I spend my time with Jesus in the morning, it's not just for me. It's for my husband, my daughter, my friends, and anyone else I come into contact that day.
Even though it's often difficult to find the time in a busy morning to spend a few moments with Jesus, I have found that it is too important not to make time for. Prayer is what provides the second key element for patience. Prayer provides perspective.

Perspective: We all have plans to be the perfect mama. We will never yell at our children, we will give them the attention they need, and will always be sweet towards them, right? Well, even though our intentions are great, we are all sinners, even the best of us.
I have learned to look at motherhood as a sanctification process. A chance to die to myself and serve another, to be Jesus to my daughter. There is no greater privilege than that.

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Anytime I feel myself getting frustrated, irritated and growing impatient, I stop and ask myself the following question:

Is what I'm doing more important than my daughter?
The answer is usually no. Completing my projects, answering e-mails, cooking dinner, sewing, blogging, talking on the phone, and cleaning my house are all much less important than showing my daughter Christ's love.
My daughter is learning who Jesus is through my life. What a responsibility. As I teach my daughter to wait patiently for her food, not to interrupt, and to be patient in many facets of her life, I am reminded that she is watching me as I respond to her. I can't tell her to be patient one minute and then the next lose mine with her for whining while I'm trying to complete a project (real life, my friends).
Today, I am praying for you fellow mamas. We have such a huge responsibility to be raising our children for the Lord and it's oh so important that we fill ourselves with his love, mercy and patience each day so we have that to offer our children. As we learn to cultivate patience in our lives towards our toddlers, may they also grow to be men and women with patience and character that glorifies the Lord.
How do you keep from losing your patience with your toddler? Check out the other mama's blogs for their tips. And be sure to link up with us below if you also have a post on this topic.

In the difficulty of motherhood, it's so important to find other mamas to relate to. Toddlers can be a handful and leave you wondering what to do next. This series is here to help you navigate through toddlerhood while being able to relate to other mamas going through the same thing. We may not always know what we are doing but we give it our best shot anyway. Come back each week to check out our new topic and read along with the other hosts of our One Year and Beyond series!

The Not Quite Military Wife// Like a Morning Cup of Coffee// Meet the Sullivan's From Here to Eternity// Pig and Dac// Everyday Love A Cowboy's Life// Life of Faith// Foxy's Domestic Side// My Delicious Adventure

Oct 2: Toddler Diaper Bag Essentials Oct 9: Learning to love your post-pregnancy body Oct 16: Busy Toddler Activities Oct 23: Keeping in Shape While Caring for a Toddler Oct 30: Sick Day Tips Nov 6: How to Not Lose Your Patience with your Toddler Nov 13: Favorite Toddler Outings
An InLinkz Link-up

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.