[mamaKristin]

I think there are a LOT of situations as a parent where your job is simply to discipline and ride out the storm. I suppose it goes along with the idea of age-appropriate or age-typical behavior, but it's more than that. I think it's about relinquishing control and realizing that children really are their own people and they don't cooperate or respond to even the best discipline all the time.

Some days, it's really hard to recognize that my children are their own person. They may look just like me or my DH...but they are not the same people we are. They are allowed their own reactions to things, and my goal shouldn't be to 'fix' what isn't broken, but to guide them to learn how to react in appropriate ways.