The innocent baby days have officially left and as Dr. Karp (Happiest Baby on the Block) would say...our real parenting days are upon us. We have had to pull out our discipline tricks and introduce Time Out firmly and properly. I must say, we are having success so far and it's only been two days. Yes, I am worn out physically and mentally, but that means I must be doing something right, right?
Ryan's favorite pasttime now is to tackle the dog. We are trying to teach him that its not appropriate and poor Sputnik really doesn't like it. He is also into EVERYTHING in the house that's not tied down now...videos, CDs, knick-knacks, dog water, etc. Most things are put away, but he has to learn that some things are off-limits too.
We have made the front door mat his "Time Out" mat. I began yesterday when he started tackling Sputnik at 8:02 AM (sigh). I gave him his warning and told him if he continued to jump on the dog he was going to Time Out. (Not like he understood, but you gotta start somewhere). Needless to say, he was right back on her so up he went and I plopped him on the rug and said "Time Out for tackling the dog when Mommy said not to." Every time the little stinker got up, I plopped him back down. He must've gotten up 45 times...or so it seemed. But hey, this was the VERY 1st time. By late afternoon, he had had a horrible day (falls, scrapes, bumps & bruises) and was really testing his limits & pushing my buttons. Needless to say, he had a few more experiences to try out his new mat. I sat next to him & ignored him each time he was in Time Out and every time he got off the mat, I put his bottom back on until the 1-minute timer on the microwave went off. As soon as his time was up, I explained again why he was in Time Out, we gave kisses & hugs, and off he went to play again. Eventually we'll get to apologizing when he can verbalize it ;-)
Today was better. He had 4 Time Outs today for Sputnik offenses and playing in the videos and CDs, but HE SAT ON THE MAT and only got up twice during the last 2 time outs. See, he's learning:-) So, I am one worn out Mommy, but like I said, I am doing my best to be consistent and mean what I say & Daddy is right on the bandwagon with me. I know this is only the beginning of a very long road, but we must be the ones to set the foundation for this little guy.
Integrated Curriculum for Your Kindergartner
10 years ago
Wow! What a busy day with time outs! I must say I had one of those the other day... it was just plain awful. But I took Jacen to the pediatrician for his 15 month check up (can you believe the boys are that old already?!) and he told me to try putting him in his room instead of doing the whole mat thing. I had been doing the mat and he always thought it was playtime, constantly trying to get up, just like you mentioned... then I raised the question: if I put Jacen in his room and shut the door, won't he go play with his toys?! And Dr. Witt said, "No, just you watch." And sure enough... he doesnt. I put him in there and shut the door and he cries and never touches his toys. I figured he was playing and putting up a fight on the playmat for show, and now he knows :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you!!!
ReplyDeleteCam was ROTTEN for me on my birthday yesterday! He had 3 timeouts. One for throwing coasters despite multiple warnings, one for throwing my computer mouse, and then another for throwing the broom at the cabinets (I wouldn't let him have the Swiffer Vac). My kid's problem is clearly throwing things.
TO's will get better. Just work at it! It will be worth it in the end!
Keep up the good work!