Monday, July 16, 2012

Obedience By Eighteen Months Old


"If you don't get obedience by the time they are eighteen months old, it is too late!"  stated a father of ten children.  I tend to agree with him.  Yes, eighteen months is young but they are little at that age and much easier to control than when they get bigger.

Children's disobedience comes out at a very young age.  We all want our own way and the sooner we learn that we can't have our own way, the easier life will be for us.

As soon as you see your child start to defy your commands to him/her, you must take quick action to make sure they obey you the first time.  One woman remarked that it was extreme to only have to say something once to your child.  She said they weren't robots.

No, they are human beings created in the image of God with the power to obey you the first time you tell them to do something.  Why not train them to do that from a very young age?  You are teaching them self-discipline and that is one of the best gifts you can give your child.

If they learn to say NO to themselves at a very young age and learn that they can't always have what they want, learning to say NO to themselves when they grow up will be much easier.  They can say ~

NO,  I don't need dessert every night. 

NO,  I am not going to have sex with you before marriage. 

NO,   I don't want to skip school and lie to my parents. 

NO,  I won't go to that movie just because every one else is.

Self-discipline is a very good thing so do your child a favor and teach them to control themselves at a very young age.  They may grow up to thank you someday.

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline
drives it far from him.        
Proverbs 22:15

The picture is of Steven when he was very young, hence the poor quality!

Comments (3)

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I agree, but if you have not done that and you have a whiny defiant 2 1/2 year old what do you do? One of my children and her husband do not like saying no and sticking to it. This child doesn't like anyone who tells her no. I am not on her favorite list, as I will not let her eat off of my plate or drink out of my water jug. None of my kids were allowed to do either. I agree with you. thanks.
This is a really good article. We started so young with our kids and continue one. My one comment would be that I would disagree that if you don't start that young then it's too late. I would not want people to give up, and I really think it will be a lot harder if you didn't start young. However, there's still hope of vast improvement. A friend of mine recently sat down with her kids and apologized for not doing it right. They said, "We have done wrong by you by not discipling you like we should. We are sorry. Things will change." They have seen huge strides in their kids' behavior since that meeting and some better expectations set. Thank you so much for you heart and everything you are doing here. It's so important!
I agree that obedience training should begin well before 18 months - with both of ours, it started closer to 12 months - but it's definitely never DONE by 18 months. Our older son is 3.5 years old, and the training has only gotten more intense, not less. At each stage where they gain physical independence, they also strive for independence from parental control, and the battle has to be fought all over again.

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