well, they may be smaller than you, but lets face it they are so much smarter than you! now the thing is we can’t let them think for a second that we know that. we have to make it clear that we are the big men on campus and what we say goes. usually easier said than done. this was the case for us tonight….bath time! always such an enjoyable time for us except for on the nights when my 2 1/2 year old, hudson, has had nursery school, lunch program, followed by french. a long day, with no nap, equals disaster most the time! he begged me to do french and not only did he get it, but i got a boy who now doesn’t need a nap most days, yikes!! the whole day, no breaks, not something i was quite prepared for. anyhow, back to the story. i always say one of the biggest, most important mommy secrets of all time is STICK TO YOUR GROUND!!! be firm, don’t yell. yelling means you’ve already lost the battle. be sure you are being fair and stick to what you say. don’t go back. once you do, on anything, even something as small as giving them the one candy you said no to, to begin with, than you’ve lost control. they are in charge and getting back in charge is not the easiest thing to accomplish!
hudson was refusing to sit on his side of the tub to leave room for beckett. no reasoning behind it, just pure refusal. we battled i got him to sit, just to have him stand to wash his bum and refuse to sit again. what the heck is the deal?? it has to be for some reason, but reasoning with an exhausted 2 year old is about as good as your chances of winning the lottery. had to manhandle him down to get the soap off, to struggle with him about the pajama bottoms he didn’t want to wear (he’s wearing them) and then get him settled to brush his teeth, while i got becks out of the bath and dressed. meanwhile, hudson comes running in crying, with complete terror in his eyes, screaming that his toy is in the bath and it’s going to go down the drain. there is no water in the tub, just a lonely toy that has fallen off the edge and landed in the center of the tub! well…..now the real story reveals itself about why he won’t sit on his side of the tub…he’s afraid he is going to go down the drain!! robert munsch, “down the drain” i guess all too scary a children’s book for a child.
deep breath, big hugs and feeling a bit guilty about our brawl! i guess that’s what parenting is all about…doing what you feel is best at the time and dealing with the feelings of regret, guilt, or sadness after. we are firm to show them boundaries, as kids without boundaries don’t know what pleases you. this in turn leaves them frustrated and acting up. another mommy secret for you!! okay gotta run and watch some mindless television and get rid of this guilt! my poor child actually thought he was going to go down the drain!!!
until next time……