Here are some pictures of our weekend in Wyoming and some pictures of Mason in the bath with his goggles on. At first we thought the whole kicking in the bath was funny, but after realizing we had a major clean up every time we bathed him, we have since told him no. I feel bad since we let him do it the first time, but I guess you do what you have to do sometimes. We are having some real struggles disciplining him. He is a very, well, intense child. So we have been giving him time outs (which he doesn't like) but those have not really been working. We are at a loss as to what to do. We don't want to spank him but want something that works. If anyone has any suggestions, either call me, leave a comment, or email me. I'm serious about this. We really don't know what to do. That being said, we love him so much and I'm always sure right after giving him a time out to hold him and tell him how much I love him. I have never loved a person so much in my life, but I never dreamed the person I loved that intensely would drive me more nuts than anyone ever has :) Parenting is one of those things that always keeps you on your toes. The minute you think you've got it figured out, it tries to stick its hand in its poopy diaper while you're changing it! Grrrrrr. It is obviously worth it (have you seen his cute face???!!!) but such hard work. Sorry for the long babbling. Thanks for any who made it this far ;)
6 comments:
Ok I'm NOT a mom, just a teacher/aunt so you are welcome to take or leave this advice. :) What I've found with kids (and I was just discussing this with a fellow teacher yesterday) is that kids CRAVE boundaries. They want to know exactly what they can and can't do. The first thing you learn in teaching is to set expectations and consequences. For example, when I get out pattern blocks I would say, "Please keep the blocks on the carpet. If you make a mess you have to clean it up. If you chose to throw these blocks or put them off the carpet you are choosing to go back to your seat." That way my expectations are perfectly clear and they know up front what the consequences are. And then the key is following through with the consequences. I've found with my students that I had to follow through on the consequences a lot at the beginning of the year but now they know I'm serious and they don't push it that far. And sometimes I put out a harsher consequence than I really wanted to (missed recess, etc) for something silly but if I say it, I always follow through. Kids are smart and as soon as they learn that you're not serious, they will never believe you again.
I'm not sure if that's helpful or not but there you have it. If you have any questions you can e-mail me. :)
The one where Wynn and Mason are walking together is PRECIOUS! I love it!
And sorry we are spankers so no advice here. Although we don't have to spank her often because we always count to three before we do, and usually when we get to two she stops whatever the behavior is since she knows what's coming if we get to three. Timeouts don't really work for her.
Those are great pics! Looks like you had a good time. I love the wide openness in WY. Anyway, about discipline. He's just about the age where he can start to understand a time-out and know when he is doing something wrong. I think the major trick with discipline is that you have to be
1. Consistent (if you tell him he can't do something then you have to punish him every time he does it)
2. Firm as in following through (this one is hard since I always want to give threats that I would never actually follow through with and I have to rethink them while in a highly frustrated state, but it's important)
3. Calm (THE absolute hardest! I am far from perfect in this aspect. I do have to say that there is a difference between strict and angry. Try to just put him on time out and explain why in a calm, but strict, voice then go in your room and throw and punch and scream into your pillows)
Hope this helps. There's no perfect way and you have to do what works for you and Mason, but these are mostly tips to use with whatever you decide to use as punishment. Good luck!
I highly recommend with-holding sprinkles from his ice cream after dinner. This keeps them strictly in line :0) I absolutely don't know anything about this stuff so ya thats the best advice I have for ya :) See you this week!!! Yea!! Miss you!
That was so nice of Mason to take Wynn to the playground... I'm sure it was a tough job, but well worth it! Ha,ha. I love the goggles in the tub. You're great parents... sometimes it's just tough finding out what works best for each child--they're all so different. Mason is so lucky to have you guys!
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