As I am typing this, one of my children is having some "thinking time". Being a parent, I am constantly having to remind my children of the boundaries that we have established at our house. Some days, it feels like that is all I do over and over, and honestly it begins to wear a bit thin! Rules are important for establishing safety guidelines as well as learning proper behavior and social boundaries. But you should also consider your boundaries as a way to reaffirm your love for your child. It's easy to lose sight of that when you are disciplining your child for coloring their bedroom wall or yanking their sisters hair AGAIN. It doesn't feel like a token of your love, but the underlying element is that you care enough to be concerned over your child's safety or behavior. Subconsciously, your child picks up on this and feels your love. So the next time you find your child retesting those boundaries over and over, hang in there and remember that your consistent response is just one more way to say, "I love you."
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