LOVING LIFE AT HOME - Christian Marriage, Biblical Parenting, Creative Homemaking, Purposeful Living
Nov 2, 2026 · 39 min · 9 segments
Show Notes VERSES CITED: Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”…
Jennifer FlandersHostOne sweet mama writes, Dear Jennifer, Whoa, most parenting advice revolves around newborns, toddlers, and teens, but I've yet to find anyone who talks about the challenges of early elementary.
They're very physically independent and genuinely kind kids who typically stay out of trouble.
But the slight attitudes they are starting to show, eye rolling, sighing, having an unhappy expression when they're corrected, really drive me up the wall.
Even the physical manifestations of things I can handle, it's when I gently correct them and they still have a cruddy attitude that really gets to me.
not to mention them taking teasing too far and getting jokingly bossy with us as parents that crosses the line and to disrespect.
We are a family that enjoys joking, but learning boundary lines and appropriate teasing is a work in progress.
It's like mini-teenagedom over here, and I don't understand why it seems that no one talks about it.
What am I missing? Did I not parent as well in the toddler stage as I thought? I don't mean that pridefully, but from a discipline and expectation standpoint, what are your thoughts on this age group? Well, I have a lot of thoughts about this.
First, by your own admission, you have generally kind, responsible kids who don't give you much trouble.
Be sure to commend them for all the things they're doing well, especially in the areas that are mostly under their control.
Working hard, being kind, showing thoughtfulness, attending to the chores cheerfully, let them know that you notice all those signs of maturity.
Your acknowledgement and appreciation of their progress in such areas will make it much easier for them to hear your concerns about that other matter.
Second, you are right to be concerned with these first signs of shifting attitudes.
You want to address them early while they're young before the sighing and grumbling and eye rolling have an opportunity to take root and grow into something worse.
But I would encourage you to address these behaviors with grace and ideally in private.
Assume the best, especially the first time that you bring the matter to their attention.
I had a cousin who had the bad habit of rolling her eyes, and for the longest time, because of it, I was convinced that she thought everything I said or did was stupid.
Honestly, it was not until I was an adult that I noticed she rolled her eyes at everybody.
It was such an ingrained habit, she may not have even realized how often she does it.
She's a very sweet person, and I don't really think that she meant to send the message that she considered everybody else ridiculous.
You might tell your girls that story and let them know that you're committed to helping them break that bad habit before it starts affecting the way other people view them.
One sweet mama writes, Dear Jennifer, Whoa, most parenting advice revolves around newborns, toddlers, and teens, but I've yet to find anyone who talks about the challenges of early elementary.
They're very physically independent and genuinely kind kids who typically stay out of trouble.
But the slight attitudes they are starting to show, eye rolling, sighing, having an unhappy expression when they're corrected, really drive me up the wall.
Even the physical manifestations of things I can handle, it's when I gently correct them and they still have a cruddy attitude that really gets to me.
not to mention them taking teasing too far and getting jokingly bossy with us as parents that crosses the line and to disrespect.
We are a family that enjoys joking, but learning boundary lines and appropriate teasing is a work in progress.
It's like mini-teenagedom over here, and I don't understand why it seems that no one talks about it.
What am I missing? Did I not parent as well in the toddler stage as I thought? I don't mean that pridefully, but from a discipline and expectation standpoint, what are your thoughts on this age group? Well, I have a lot of thoughts about this.
First, by your own admission, you have generally kind, responsible kids who don't give you much trouble.
Be sure to commend them for all the things they're doing well, especially in the areas that are mostly under their control.
Working hard, being kind, showing thoughtfulness, attending to the chores cheerfully, let them know that you notice all those signs of maturity.
Your acknowledgement and appreciation of their progress in such areas will make it much easier for them to hear your concerns about that other matter.
Second, you are right to be concerned with these first signs of shifting attitudes.
You want to address them early while they're young before the sighing and grumbling and eye rolling have an opportunity to take root and grow into something worse.
But I would encourage you to address these behaviors with grace and ideally in private.
Assume the best, especially the first time that you bring the matter to their attention.
I had a cousin who had the bad habit of rolling her eyes, and for the longest time, because of it, I was convinced that she thought everything I said or did was stupid.
Honestly, it was not until I was an adult that I noticed she rolled her eyes at everybody.
It was such an ingrained habit, she may not have even realized how often she does it.
She's a very sweet person, and I don't really think that she meant to send the message that she considered everybody else ridiculous.
You might tell your girls that story and let them know that you're committed to helping them break that bad habit before it starts affecting the way other people view them.
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