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Teaching your toddler to obey is one of the most important building blocks for their continued development. Learn how to establish a healthy foundation of obedience in your home.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Parents commonly ask, “How can I help my toddler learn to obey.”
Toddler obedience might be the most common parenting topic for this stage of life. At some point, every toddler will discover disobedience. And the results might not be pretty.
As a parent, you’re likely wondering how you can get your toddler to just, well, behave again. Disciplining a two or three-year old might feel cruel. But through wise and loving care, you can build a healthy foundation of obedience in your home.
Here a few things to think about and try to help:
Ask yourself some key questions that might uncover hidden reasons for behavior.
Is my toddler fed? Did he or she sleep well last night? Has life been chaotic lately for him? Has she experienced a big change recently?
Try rewarding good behavior while disciplining consistent bad behavior. For example, when your toddler behaves well, let them place a marble in a jar. When they disobey, have them remove one marble from the jar. Once the jar is full, find a way to celebrate his or her obedience.
Avoid going for perfection. Instead, be realistic about your toddler’s behavior. Keep a close eye on if there’s a pattern of defiance for rules or instructions.
There’s a good chance his or her disobedience is simply a product of being a toddler. Learning to obey will be a key lesson for the upcoming years of your child’s development. For more advice on this topic, “How can I help my toddler learn to obey?’ check out our parenting resources here.
Dr. Huerta oversees Focus’ initiatives that equip mothers and fathers with biblical and research based principles and guidance for raising healthy, resilient children rooted in a thriving faith in Christ.
Dr. Huerta is a bilingual psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, author of 7 Traits of Effective Parenting, and co-author of Focus on the Family’s Age and Stage resource, and various other resources. He is also the co-host and expert on the Focus on Parenting and the Practice Makes Parent podcasts.
For many years, he has provided families with practical, biblically-based, and research-based parenting advice on key parenting topics. He has been interviewed by various media outlets including Fox News, Fatherly, Christianity Today, WORLD Magazine, The Christian Post and CBN, and regularly speaks on Christian radio stations and podcasts across the United States. He’s also written for various publications and is a regular speaker at retreats, conventions, family camps, online events worldwide, and on various social media channels.
Dr. Huerta has maintained a private practice serving families in Colorado Springs since 2003 and has also served families as an employee of Focus on the Family since 2004.
He and his wife, Heather, love the outdoors, have been married since 1997, and love spending time with their two adult children.
Do you feel like your life is mostly chaos? You have an opportunity to overcome neglectful parenting habits to build a strong foundation for your kids and family.
