See, I am like Charlotte in the movie Sex And The City. If I were going to tell Big off I would say "I rue the day I met you!". Then my friends would laugh at me and tell me to "work up a hand guesture with it"~ just like the movie. That is my idea of tough love.
So, in an effort to "follow through" with the kids (who clearly aren't listening to me lately) and get "tougher" I decided to copy a tactic of a friend of mine. Everytime one of her kids acts up their bedtime is earlier by 10 minutes. Well, yesterday the kids went to bed an HOUR earlier.
They were shocked I did it but they didn't argue (wha?). In bed at 7pm~ sound asleep. This morning we were having a great morning until it was time to (wrestle) get dressed. So wrestle the boys did instead. 10 minutes shaved from bedtime. Cherub 1 got into it with cherub 3, 10 minutes for her. Is it working I thought? Here was the test:
Cherub 2 decided he didn't like his coat. Sorry buddy...it is really cold. I told him that he needed to put it back on with his hat and gloves or he would lose another 10 minutes. He looked at me, paused, and PUT IT ON. I thanked him for making a great choice. We talked about how that was different from yesterday (he threw a fit over a pair of mittens he didn't like and we ended up missing the bus). I told him I was proud of him (then I picked my shocked but up off the floor!).
So, my new NotSoTough version of tough love seems to have worked this morning. Also, it seems to have stopped one of cherub 2's meltdowns. A two-for-one deal.
- In (Not So) Perfect Balance
- Our life is full of wonderful, chaotic, blessed, hysterical, insane, magical, sad, scary, sweet, mind boggling, moments. While balancing life with 3 cherubs, parents, sisters, BIL, In-laws, 1 teaching career, and many good friends; I find that our life is moving far toooo fast. It is important to cherish and record the moments as we consistently try to balance our scale (God forbid I make a photo album)! MB
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment