You know you are about to be outsmarted

when your 3.5 year old is turning the tables on you and lets you know you are getting to agitated and to loud and need to cool off.
We have been using new tools and trying to avoid the Tantrums by reacting to bad behavior earlier. So we have used the sign language T, you know it form Time out in Basketball, and the stop sign as well. The Time out sign I have been using for just getting a word in when she goes down the Temper Tantrum road really fast. It really helps and give us both a break to cool off.

So, the other day I was tired, it was getting late in the evening and Anna started her typical bedtime routine of extending the inevitable as long as possible. Nothing special just very annoying. So I obviously got a little more firm and usually that means I raise my voice a bit and voila there was Anna giving me the time out sign and asking me to calm down. I had to take a deep breath and it was so cute I almost burst into laughter but she was so darn serious. She just does not like raised voices and so she just wanted to defuse Mom being mad at her.

I know if that would have happened when I was in my twenty I would have taken it as disrespectful and would really got off on her. But than I just thought how smart and how cool this is. If I use respectful ways with her, she is going to use them with me and I bet with her peers. Kids really learn by modeling behavior, so the challenge is on for me. It made me again so aware of the challenge to raise healthy, respectful, loving children who than transform in the same kind of adults at one point. I am so thankful God brought our kids in our life. It's great to be able to get challenged on a daily basis, even if its sometimes tuff.
It also challenges my faith and walk with God. I am constantly wondering what God is thinking as father about me when I look at Anna's attitudes and compare them to mine. Having children in your home is so rewarding in many ways!