Daddy Magic: Pray with your child

It's important to pray with your child every day! When your child is a baby, you will be praying over your child.

I recommend doing this every night when you put your child to bed.

By doing this when your child is an infant, you will build a habit for the rest of your life.


Now, this only makes sense to pray to our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can truly answer our prayers.


What to pray for:

(1) For God to put events in your child's life that will draw her to Him

(2) For God to put people in your child's life that will draw her to Him

(3) For the salvation of your child and her friends

(4) That your child will have mentors who will draw her to God

(5) That your child will have friends who will draw her to God

(6) That your child will have friends and mentees who she will draw to God

(7) That your child will server God with her life

(8) That your child will give financially to God

(9) That your child will love others

(10) That your child will share with others

(11) That your child will have God's peace and patience

(12) That your child will endure and persevere for God's glory

(13) That your child will obey you, according to the Will of God

(14) That your child will obey God

(15) That your child will repent from her sins

(16) That your child will lead Bible studies

(17) That your child will passionately love God

(18) That God will provide for your child's needs so that she can serve Him fully

(19) Health of your child - so that she can honor God with her life

(20) Countenance and mood of your child - that she will reflect Christ's attitude

(21) That she will get a lot of rest in her naps and in her sleep - so that she can honor God with a loving countenance



Why you should pray:

(1) It is God's Will for you to pray corporately

(2) You are putting God before yourself and your child

(3) She will learn the importance of prayer

(4) She will see how high you value the things you pray for

(5) She will pursue the things you pray for

(6) You will renew your focus on the things you are praying for

(7) Because you love your child




Give it a try! If you are not a Christian, learn about the God who created us! Google Jesus Christ! This is the best thing for your child's life... forever.


Is this Daddy Magic? No, it's more like a practice that God has required of us since the first creature walked on Earth.







Disclaimer

Daddy Magic: Touch Your Baby!!!

Touch your baby! Start from day one. Touch your infant. Touch his hands, his feet, his legs, his arms, his neck, his chest, his stomach, his face, and his head. Touch him gently and playfully.

Touch your infant!

Touch your baby!

Touch your toddler! When you get more toward the toddler age, your touches should be more like tickles on the sides, neck, and feet/toes. Also touch his hands, his arms, his neck, his face, and his head. Give him hugs! Teach him how to hug.

Tickle your toddler! Tickles count.

Why? Why touch your child?


Do it for these reasons:

(1) Teach him how to hug. By getting him comfortable with affection, he will learn how to show affection to others. It starts with physical touch, but it will extend to compassionate acts as he grows.

(2) He will learn that his parents love him. He will learn this much more affectively and quickly than any other method. Do you love him? Tell him.

(3) He will be healthy. That's right. Touching your child stimulates the blood cells so that he is able to fight off sickness and viruses. This is especially vital in the younger stages.


Love your child! Touch your child! That's Daddy Magic.





Disclaimer

Daddy Magic: Let people hold your baby!!!

What??? Are you crazy??? Let people hold your baby!!!

You think you're being protective, but do you know what you're doing to your child??? Everything you do is teaching your child something. By going around and always holding your child, not ever leaving your baby, and not letting other people hold your baby, you are teaching your baby one thing:

He is not safe in anyone else's arms and in anyone else's care.



That's right! You're teaching that to your baby!!!!

Do you know what that means? That means that you cannot have someone else watch your child. Your child will throw fits because the baby sitter isn't you. What if you have to go to the bathroom? You can't hand the baby to a friend. The baby trusts no one except for you! What about the other spouse? Is your spouse going to watch your baby sometime? It's not possible if the baby isn't used to it!


This is what happens when you are the only one who holds your baby:

1. The baby throws more tantrums because you can't always hold him.
2. The baby becomes a toddler who still throws tantrums.
3. The baby doesn't feel comfortable with your spouse.
4. The baby won't sleep as well unless you are holding him. He won't put himself to sleep.
5. You will have to wake up constantly or sleep with your baby in your bed. Either one will be bad for your marriage relationship and sex life.
6. You can't get away from your baby. You can't go out with your friends, go on a date with your spouse, or do anything, really.
7. Your baby won't trust people. He will throw tantrums in public places. Not good.
8. People think you are being a little uptight. Well, guess what? They are right. You are.


What to do:

1. This is hard to do (to trust others with something so precious), so do it from day 2 or 3. When visitors come to the hospital, let some of them (especially the ladies) Purell their hands and hold your newborn.
2. When you get to church, let a few people Purell their hands and hold your newborn.
3. When visitors or family comes over, let them Purell their hands and hold your newborn.
4. Let female trusted family members or female trusted friends watch your infant while you go out.


What this does:

1. Your baby will trust people. You are helping shape her personality.
2. Your baby will be interested in people. You are helping shape her personality.
3. Your baby will be comfortable around people.
4. Your baby will smile at people.
5. Your baby will be friendly to people.
6. Your baby will learn how to share much easier.
7. Your baby will not be as violent to other children.
8. Your baby will learn social skills much sooner.


These are all good things! These are Daddy Magic!




Disclaimer

Daddy Magic: Should you teach your child to trust people?

Should you teach your child to trust people?

YES!!!

Why would you want to, since people can do really bad things?

Well, not all people do. If you teach your child how to trust people, then your child will learn about trust, love, and contentment much sooner than the other children. It's worth it! Do it! The sooner your child will trust and love people the more it will shape his life.

The primary concern here is that this could lead to a stranger (or family or friend) doing an evil thing to your child. That could happen. However, you can mitigate that risk!

- Always watch your child.
- Only leave your child with a trusted friend.
- Only leave your child with a woman. About 95% of sexual abuse is by men.
- We leave our children in our church nursery, but we know them, and the men cannot watch children alone, they can't change diapers, and they can't take a child to the bathroom. Our church has already thought about all that.


Here's the thing, teach your child how to love everyone when you really can't communicate very well with your child. Once you can communicate with your child, teach him to be cautious and give him rules without giving him reasons until he's ready. This way you can teach your child to be loving and cautious. That's Daddy Magic!




Disclaimer

Daddy Magic: How to get your toddler to not stuff his face with food

Our toddler doesn't stuff her face with food. All her friends do.

Why is that? I actually stumbled on this one by accident.

I started handing her things (coasters mostly) to teach her how to share. I saw that a friend of mine was doing it, and his daughter knew how to share. So I started doing it when my daughter was younger.

This is what I did:

1. Hold out item #1 for her, "Would you like this?"
2. She takes it. "You're welcome."
3. Hold out item #2 for her, "Would you like this?"
4. She takes it. "You're welcome."
5. Repeat for about 10 items.
6. She now has the items in a pile next to her.
7. I hold out my hand, "May I have one, please?"
8. She didn't give it to me at first. I take one. "Thank you!" I sing-song the phrase and sign it.
9. I hold out my hand, "May I have one, please?"
10. Eventually she gets it and hands one to me. "Thank you!" I sing-song the phrase and use sign language to say "Thank you!" at the same time.
11. Once I have all 10 items, I hand them back to her, one at a time.
12. I did the back and forth process about three times every day. My wife got sick of constantly hearing, "May I have that please?" "Thank you!" "Would you like this?" "You're welcome!"

Eventually, a lot of cool things started happening:

1. My daughter learned how to share, beyond what was normal. When another toddler dropped his hat, she immediately picked it up and handed it to him. She constantly looks for her baby sister's pacifier, burp rag, and bottle, and hands those things to us or to her sister, because she knows those belong to her sister.
2. She learned how to be entertained with us doing a simple game of handing things. Even when she is with herself, she will be entertained by picking things up and making a pile.
3. She learned how to sign Thank You before all her older friends.
4. She learned how to say Thank You before all her older friends. The sing-song tone was catchy.
5. She began eating like this, only taking one thing at a time. All her friends stuff their faces. She eats sequentially. This allows us to give her smaller portions at a time so that we don't waste food.

All of those are very cool effects, but I still get people who are blown away by #5. I trained her on a habit that carried over into her eating habits.

Is it magic? It's Daddy Magic.

Disclaimer

Daddy Magic: The Pacifier is only for night time

The pacifier is only for night time!

Well, first you train your infant to love the pacifier. Then you slowly take it away from her. Only give it to her during naps and at night time. Only use it otherwise after you tried everything else.

Train your toddler to hand you the pacifier when she wakes up. Hand it to her when she goes to bed. You are teaching her that the pacifier is only for bed.


Why is this important?

1. You can get her to smile more.
2. She isn't walking around all the time with the pacifier.
3. You won't have to worry about her dropping it or losing it.
4. She will talk sooner because she is able to practice.
5. It will be easier to ween her off of it.
6. It teaches her discipline.
7. It teaches her obedience.

Pure Daddy Magic.

Disclaimer