Many “experts” think that toddlers are too young to be “trained.” Ah, you would be truly amazed at how much a one-year-old really does understand. My Sammy is 14-months old and understands a ton! Here are just a few things:

• I can ask her to go get me a diaper and she will go to her room, go to the diaper basket and grab it and give one to me. She’ll also help throw away the soiled diapers afterward.
• She will be playing with her toys and I’ll say, “Sammy let’s pick up the toys” and she will begin to put them back in her toy basket.
• If she is holding something in her hand, she will bring it to me if asked.
• If  she is climbing on the chair that she knows she isn’t supposed to climb on, she will get down when I sternly instruct her to do so.
• When it is time to go to bed, we can look at Samantha and say “time to go night-night Sammy” and she’ll find her bunny blanket (the one she can’t live with out) and head towards her room and stand by her crib.
• The best one of all – when we sit down at the dinner table and Daddy says “let’s pray,” she will hold out her hands for us to hold them and she will try and bow her little chin and she starts babblin’ away with whomever is saying the prayer. It is the cutest thing!

All of this she’s been doing for a few months now.

So, is she the smartest girl in the world or what? NO!!  She has just been shown what to do. She has been trained. (As were her big brothers.) She has been shown what to do, by her daddy, her big brothers and me. Maybe her concept of right and wrong isn’t the same as her three-year-old brother, but she does know in many circumstances what is good and pleasing to mamma and what is not. She doesn’t comply 100% of the time – but neither do her big brothers.

Training your children isn’t difficult, it just takes a little time and a devotion to consistency. But, I can tell you from experience (on both sides, unfortunately) that taking a few weeks to work on some training with your child is so beneficial. You will be rewarded in the long run!