Preview Month 22, Month 36, Month 48, and Month 60 of KinderKronicle

Month 22 

As you head into your child’s 22nd month, you are entering the next stage of parenting: The Authority Stage. Because this stage requires specific skills and a greater understanding of what “parental authority” really entails, this issue of KinderKronicle focuses entirely on this concept of authority.

For the past 22 months you have been in the Nurturing Stage. When your child utters her first “no,” that is your signal that change is on the horizon. You are now entering the third stage—The Authority Stage.

Month 36 

For the first two years of your child’s life, your primary role as a parent is to nurture your child. Around age two, your role expands to more formally include the element of authority in your parenting. At this point, with love as your foundation, you begin to teach personal responsibility–helping your child learn that you are the loving leader of your home, that there are family rules set in place to help guide her and keep her safe, and that her choices have consequences.

You now have a three-year-old child. The next two years are key to your becoming a “Productive Parent.” As part of the authority stage, you must amp up your teaching of personal responsibility by continually modeling, explaining, and enforcing family rules, by continually teaching that choices have consequences, and by introducing your child to the concept of a work ethic.

Month 48 

KinderKronicle talks a lot about the parental relationship. Why? Because study after study confirms that a stable marriage relationship gives parents and their children their best chance for a productive, stable family.

Parents who have a happy, compatible relationship have less stress in their marriage and are better able to devote time and energy to their parenting. And when Mom and Dad take time to nourish and strengthen their relationship, they have a better chance of staying connected and strong together after their children are grown and have moved on to create their own families.

Month 60 

In Month 60, you are entering a time of major adjustment where you need to start thinking deeply about how to interpret the world to your child.

In Month 59, we briefly reviewed the six stages of parenthood and introduced you to six major decisions facing parents as you enter the Interpretive Stage of Parenting. We made these three dominant points for your consideration:

– As a parent, how do you intend to interpret the outside world to your child?

– Do you understand the world through the lens of truth or relativism? KinderKronicle presents its information as truth.

– It is essential that you listen—really listen—to your child, your spouse, and other family members to get a feel for how to approach interpreting your values.