kids will be kids


wow, what a day!  I'm glad it is almost over.

normally I get to play online during naptimes and bedtime.  it's not quite 830pm and here I am.  Sam got into so much trouble today that he's in bed early, that rascal!

cute picture right?  don't let him fool you!

what do you do when your 3 1/2 year old doesn't listen ... at all?
timeout on the stairs - did that
sent to room for longer timeouts, which by the way, there are no toys and no books in there due to previous rebellion - did that
spankings - did that
take away what he loves, which today was video time, then water-play outside, then special treats, and now no bedtime stories with an early bedtime - did all that too ... one at a time!

yesterday was not a good day either.  and last night before bed we prayed and asked God for help, for both of us.  he's at an age now where we can have a talk &/or pray, he knows what's going on and can tell me what he thinks.  he's smart, no doubt.  when he gets into trouble, I say "why did mama send you to your room?" and 9 out of 10 times he'll give the right answer ... yet the rebellion continues.

I tried the positive reinforcement approach with a sticker chart when we began potty training, and he wasn't into the it at all.  we ended up using special treats (a few m&m's or some kind of candy), which is why he loves treats even more now.
I don't want really want to use a system that shows I'm keeping track or tallying points all day.  when anyone does something wrong around here, our "policy" is to apologize and to forgive, not to remember it and bring it up later.

hubby and I believe that if you are consistent and actually parent your child that you/we will not end up with back-talking, lying, cheating, stealing, disrespectful, nasty teenagers.  we want to discipline swiftly and harshly ... as much as you can with toddlers ... which will create some responsible kids with integrity.  is that possible?  yes, it HAS to be.  it's difficult to think that far ahead into our children's lives, but know that one day they will be big people.

geez, the other one isn't even born yet!!

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