Hitting Update

After my last post, Baby Z's hitting got worse and then better. There were two days or so of consistent testing, using all kinds of hitting from the curiosity whack to the defiant smack. Consistent No's and, in the case of outright defiance, more escalated discipline seemed to do the trick. Not that Baby Z is "cured" of ever hitting again, but it seems like any other discipline matter, where if you stay on top of it, it gets better. Just like teaching Baby Z to not touch the TV. There was a week or so of A LOT of No's and hand thumps and then he stopped trying so much. Now, he still does go for it occasionally, but as soon as I say no, he usually stops.

It was definitely challenging there for a few days. It was hard to really see how sinful we are as people, even from the beginning. Something about the very visible sign of hitting (especially when it was defiant) was really hard to see in my little baby. Of course, some of it was the social stigma- that I would be that Mom with that kid on the playground, or in the nursery, or whatever. I had to remind myself that, just like us adults- we sin, but the sign of a Christian is how you deal with it. Repenting of our sin and asking for forgiveness is what God expects of us. I need to show Baby Z that same pattern of recognizing wrong, turning away from it and enjoying the restoration that comes with forgiveness. For now, this all happens in very simplified toddler terms, but it won't be long before Baby Z will understand every aspect of our discipline. And he'll see a small, admittedly imperfect, example of God's immense patience and forgiveness for His children.