Today I was reading an email from John Rosemond, a child-development expert. At least, I think that's how he describes himself. I could be wrong. He's written several books I really like: To Spank or Not to Spank, Because I Said So, and some others I can't remember right now. He gives the kind of advice that our parents would appreciate. Things like, don't make a big deal our of things that aren't a big deal (parents nowadays make EVERYTHING a big deal), and don't try to have a discussion with a four-year-old when it comes to obedience - she needs to do it "because I said so." Ever so simple.
Anyway, his email today was talking about a kid that was doing something weird (but not THAT weird), and the parents freaked and the problem got worse (go figure). I always see it as a control thing. The kid figures out that you're upset, they like the control, so they keep doing it. Watch your kid change his behavior when you stop making a big deal about it.
He said a really profound thing when writing about how the problem got worse when the parents had anxiety and it got better when they simply said, "when you act like this, 'the doctor' says it's because you don't get enough sleep, so you must go to bed immediately after dinner". "The doctor" is completely fictional, but it lends authority to the parents' words.
The next day, the odd behavior stopped. Rosemond said, "when children develop problems, they need parents who are authoritative, not anxious. Anxiety and authority are incompatible."
Profound, no? When I allow God's authority in my life, anxiety is incompatible with it. When I allow anxiety to rule my life, God's authority is not there.
Just something to ponder.
