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Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs

461: When Little Ones Push Back: Practical Discipline for Moms

Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs

Karen Stubbs

Christianity, Motherhood, Parenting, Parenting Advice, Religion & Spirituality, Kids & Family, Christian Parent, Faith

4.9 • 936 Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From dealing with toddlers who constantly say "no!" to navigating three-year-old stubbornness, today Karen is answering your questions and sharing practical strategies to help you respond with consistency and grace. You’ll learn how to set boundaries that stick and understand why repetition is key to laying a foundation of obedience. Whether you're managing meltdowns or guiding a strong-willed child, this episode will equip you to keep calm and parent on!

Episode Recap:

2:43 - Is age two or three more difficult?

4:41 - My four yr old doesn’t listen and it puts him in danger! How can I get him to take me seriously?

7:15 - Toddlers HAVE to know that you are going to follow through!

8:50 - I’m constantly threatening my 2.5 yr old daughter with consequences for not obeying, is she only obeying out of fear?

11:00 - My 7 year old daughter has no motivation to do anything! How do I get her to get moving? 

14:25 - Talk to your child’s teacher if their homework seems to take them forever at home, there could be something to pay attention to there.

18:55 - Help! My husband and I are at our wit’s end with our combative 4 year old. 


Scripture for Reflection: Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Questions for Discussion:

  1. What are some challenges you face with your toddler or preschooler’s strong emotions? How do you typically respond?
  2. How do you balance immediate consequences with teaching long-term obedience?
  3. What strategies have you found helpful for setting boundaries with strong-willed children?
  4. How can you maintain consistency when it feels like your child isn’t getting the message?


Resources:

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

there's no child out there that you tell them one time and they're just okay and they never do

0:05.1

it again. It goes against their human nature. So it's learned over time. And if she is doing it

0:10.5

out of fear right now, that's okay. Yeah. She's learning. She's two and a half. And I did exactly

0:16.6

what this mom did because you're attaching a consequence to their action. So she's learning,

0:22.4

I can obey mommy and do this the right way and get praised and rewarded, or I can not obey

0:30.1

mommy and, you know, get punished. And so what am I going to choose? Hopefully she's going to

0:35.4

choose the reward. Discipline in the long

0:38.0

game is learned over time, over and over and over in consistency so that one day they do, it all

0:44.4

clicks and they finally get it. It takes a while for them to do first time obedience.

0:49.8

Welcome to Wire Talk, where we encourage and equip moms by answering practical questions about motherhood.

0:55.4

We want to help instill God's truth in your heart so you can experience more joy and peace on your journey of motherhood.

1:01.9

Are you ready for some truth? Let's dive in.

1:06.6

Hey moms and welcome to Wiretalk. We are so thrilled that you are here with us today. We are going to be having a very

1:12.9

fun but serious episode about how to handle little little kids that have really strong emotions

1:20.3

because they look so cute and they're so sweet and their little outfits but then they,

1:26.1

little toddlers just have such a mind of their own.

1:28.7

And they've turned two or three or four. And they finally have this voice that they now want

1:33.1

to know how to do. And they have very strong little legs that can run away from you. And they can say no.

1:37.9

So how do you handle these situations? They can. And they do say no. They do say no. I remember when

1:42.9

Harper was little, like, I mean, 12 months old, almost a year, and she would say no.

1:49.0

And I thought it was so cute.

1:50.4

Yeah.

...

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