Lessons From Proverbs
We all want to move forward in life. We hope to progress, grow, succeed and take the next step – whether that be at school, work, relationships, marriage, parenting and retirement. But there is something that can hinder our progress. It can derail good planning, undo hard work, fracture relationships and even damage property. I have seen it cause the end of long time friendships. I have seen people lose their jobs over it. I have seen marriages end because of it.
What is it? Emotional immaturity. Now we expect some emotional immaturity from 2 and 3 year olds. They’re just learning to deal with life and the reality limitations to their wants. They respond to a “no” in a variety of creative ways. They might cry, yell, scream, pout, throw themselves on the floor, throw things, throw their brother, color the wall with crayons or whine away in an attempt to get what they want. You especially see this kind of behavior in toy stores.
I remember we often regretted taking our kids through toy stores when they were toddlers. Before they went in, they might be blissfully unaware of all the toys they don’t have. But upon entering the store, they are suddenly exposed to multiple reasons for discontent. Then when they found out we were not buying at least one toy from each aisle, they would leave in a bad mood. But we kind of expect that from 2 and 3 year olds. As parents, we are called to train our children to grow in emotional maturity. We need to teach them that the real world contains limits that prevent us from getting everything we want.
