Spell Out Loud

Nothing about spelling, everything about learning

  • Contact
  • About
  • Home
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Homeschool
    • 2012-2013 Homeschool Curriculum Plans
    • 2011-2012 Curriculum
    • Reviews
  • Tots-K
    • ABC Themes
    • Birthday Theme
    • Christmas
    • Early Math
    • Ice Cream Theme
    • Nursery Rhymes
    • Preschool Butterfly Unit
  • Printables
    • ABC Printables
    • Anatomy
    • Bible Printables
    • Christmas
    • Early Learning
    • Misc. Printables
    • Notebooking
    • Preschool Butterfly Unit
  • Preschool Science
    • Preschool Science Archive
  • Nature eBooks
    • Nature Study Printables 2
    • Nature Study Printables for Toddlers and Preschoolers
    • Hummingbird Nature Study
  • Christmas
    • Christmas Books and Activities
    • Holidays
  • How-To’s
  • MOSTLiving
    • Calendar of Events
    • Natural Living articles
    • Chemically-Free
You are here: Home / Motherhood / Do Toddlers and Well-Ordered Days Mix?

Do Toddlers and Well-Ordered Days Mix?

August 31, 2011 by Maureen Spell 8 Comments

oilandwater

Having toddlers and well-ordered days might seem at times like mixing oil and water — an impossible task. Oh sometimes if you stir hard enough it appears like the oil is mixing in with the water, but when you stop, the oil naturally separates to the top. Having toddlers can be that way too.  Little children can create chaos on top of a well-intentioned, well-ordered day. But does it have to be such a struggle? Is it really an impossible feat?

christmascard2010C

I can’t remember a time in my married life when I haven’t had young children. I have my older set, 13yr. old daughter, 11 yr. old son, and 9 year old daughter. Then I have my younger set, 4.5 yr. old daughter, 3 year old daughter and 10mo. old daughter (yes, that’s not a current picture—I’m working on that—lol.) I’ve learned a few things over the years and have come to appreciate and love being a mom of toddlers.

Being a mom of a toddler means we must…

“Absorb the chaos, create calm, and provide hope”
 Dr. Eugene B. Habecker @ Christian Leadership Alliance

I first heard this quote from a Christian referee. He talked about how his job in the middle of  possible volatile sport interactions was not to join the chaos, but to dissipate it, make peace with both sides, and provide a resolution. I think this quote is a good job- description for mothers of young children too.

Absorb the chaos.

flourchildweb 
I’ve been told many times, “Oh, you must have your hands full,” or “Just wait until the terrible 2’s hit.” In our society, toddlers are expected to be chaos-makers. They are known to mess up our routine, our idea of a clean house, our quiet-time. I believe though, when God spoke the world into being, He took chaos and created order. Since  little children are created in His image, I know the “chaos” label is not an inherent character quality.

As moms, when our young child has a melt-down, creates huge messes – create chaos – we must absorb it, not join in or make it worse. How could we make the situation worse? Well, if you are like me, when my child decides to explore her surroundings, practice opening and closing lids and then dumps a whole container of flour all over herself and the floor, my natural tendency is to speak harshly and be highly annoyed. This  doesn’t make the situation calm when I react like that. It usually makes it worse. I’ve found that I cannot absorb chaos in my own strength. I’m constantly asking God for help—that He’d help me see the root cause of what’s going on with my child and how to best help him/her. I’m learning with His help to react calmly and even treasure some of these memorable challenges. I try to identify (if possible) the reason for the chaos:

1. Was the chaos caused by lack of sleep?
2. Was the chaos caused by what was eaten?
(i.e. too much sugar, allergic reaction)
3. Was the chaos a cry for attention?
4. Was the chaos just their way of trying to be independent?
5. Was the chaos deliberate – an act of disobedience?
6. Was the chaos a way to cope with feelings of being overwhelmed or afraid?
7. Was the chaos because I neglected to do what needed to be done that day?
(i.e. stick to the schedule, get off the computer, play with my child etc.)

When I have an idea why my child might have acted/reacted the way they did, I can work on ways to help both of us have better success at a well-ordered day. Of course, there are still those times where I say to myself, “What were you thinking!”  🙂

Create calm.

peaceful

I am not a very strict scheduler. You might say that I tend to go with the flow of the rhythm of our day more often than following the clock. One way to help create calm for my toddlers is to establish daily routines. Young children like to know what to expect. Least you think I’m some sort of super mom, I’ll let you in on a secret— I struggle with keeping schedules. I’m a mom of young kids which requires me to be flexible.  I finally embraced the fact that for me, time schedules don’t work at this stage of my life. Instead, I focus on developing routines—which in return end up functioning like a general schedule.  Click to see my family’s chore chart and routine, but here’s the basic flow to the first part of my toddlers’ day:

1. Wake up.
– Get dressed.
– Make bed.

2. All eat breakfast together.
– Family Bible time.

3. Help with morning chores.

4. Do some educational activities w/ Mom

5. Free-play (Specific choices of activities and toys are available. This is not a free-for-all.)

6. Lunch

When we follow our routines, my toddlers are more likely to have a good day. When I find that I’m lax on implementing them, I’ve increased the likelihood of chaos occurring.

 

Provide hope.

holdingontohopeweb1

My kids are a blessing. I want my young children to know they are not a hindrance, a pain, or something to deal with until they get older. They have value now. How I relate to them is going to have an effect on how they view their Heavenly Father. I want to take this precious time in their life when they have such a love of learning to instill the reason of  hope in their lives— Jesus. So what I’ve learned is that a well-ordered day with a toddler is possible, but it usually has little to do with my toddler and everything to do with me.

The Mom Fog Challenge

Are you sick of watching OTHER moms achieve the goals you set for yourself? 😤
This could be the month EVERYTHING CHANGES. But it won’t happen if you just keep scrolling… 

It takes a CHALLENGE. 💥

Ready???

Join me, Mo Spell in this 21 day challenge. Let’s kick overwhelm to the curb!

Step #1?

Ditch the excuses. Take action. Step out of THE MOM FOG!

Let’s do this together.

Check this out —> Mom Fog Challenge

Sharing is caring!

3 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Motherhood, PreK-K Tagged With: homeschool organization, toddler time

Making Robots
Our Family Routines

Comments

  1. Monica says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:47 am

    I really enjoyed this post. Especially the part about absorbing the chaos…I needed that. Thanks and BLESSINGS! You have a beautiful family.

    Reply
  2. Amy says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    I definatly absorb the chaos. I used to work in a room full of six two year olds so my one two and a half year old dosen't seem so bad! (Though he does have his moments.) Stopped by from the Relevant link up party.

    Reply
  3. Cindy says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:30 pm

    Oh, Maureen! You were nervous about this post? It's awesome! I love the idea of absorbing the chaos. It's what I feel myself doing when I'm playing the game right. Unfortunately, that's not as often as it should be. I tend to join it, too often. I've got a one year old and a two year old. Oh, and a four year old, who isn't a toddler, but he's kind of wild all the same. Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to remember your words in the morning when my two year old is sitting in her booster seat demanding copywork like her older brother, but with paint. I hope…

    Reply
  4. Mozer says

    September 2, 2011 at 10:43 am

    Thanks Cindy! Yes, this was outside of my writing comfort zone. I prefer tutorials–lol!

    Reply
  5. Martianne says

    September 2, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    Such wonderful points you make – especially your closing one about it all depending largely on Mom not the young ones. Thank you!

    I, too, often ask myself reflective questions when the chaos ensures. Usually, I ask myself if someone is hungry, tired, undirected, etc or if I have failed my children by, say, staying online during a quiet moment too long, which I have just realized I am doing… Got to stop hopping now and get back to parenting.

    Reply
  6. Holly@ThreeSidedWheel says

    September 2, 2011 at 11:05 pm

    Absorb the chaos– love this!

    Reply
  7. mommyx12 says

    September 3, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    Toddlers and well ordered days? First thing off the top of my head when I saw that title was, "With children, who has well ordered days anyway?" Great post and inspirational.

    Reply
  8. Ember says

    April 25, 2013 at 12:52 am

    Thank you for this wonderful post and for your positive attitude!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Nature Study Bundle

$5.00

Add to Cart
Get all 3 nature study resources! Combined there are over 100+ nature printables and resources!
American History I Drew It Then I Knew It Video Art Lessons
Morning Time Subscription Tall Sidebar

Search

Key Words & Past Topics

Archives

Welcome to Spell Outloud! I love to share about educational activities, homeschool encouragement, nature studies and more. Find out more here!

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Sign up for our free newsletter!

Dysgraphia

Recent Posts

  • Mama You Need to Fuel Yourself
  • Large Family Math Solutions
  • Chocolate Chia Pudding Parfaits
  • 11th Grade Homeschool Curriculum 2018-2019
  • 5 Reasons Teaching Textbooks is Awesome for Large Families

Copyright Spell Outloud © 2023 All Rights Reserved | Site design by Archer Creative