preschooler discipline
There is simply nothing out there like waffling on the precipice of your third trimester of your third pregnancy to put you in full-deal-with-behavioral-stuff-now mode as a mom. I had a great interview with Jamie from Behave Your Best and am working that up, so stay tuned for the expert of all expert’s advice on handing challenging behavioral issues with your child. But in the meanwhile, I have to share that having this next baby on the horizon has encouraged me to address any unresolved long standing habits with both my kids. Nip it now, right? Before my hands are completely full. I’ve shared in the past detailing our lovely toddler behavior battles. A whole section on ’em. A few I need to re-read periodically for myself are the ones on how fear & power parenting doesn’t work, wiggle it out: my spastic son needs to move, helping the emotional little boy find his voice & listening ears, big boy battles: loving discipline for your toddler, two & a half year old terror? that’s my kid, three key steps to taming your tantruming toddler, toddler tantrums abound . . . help! {hahaha–I just laugh when I think about how I thought these were actual tantrums. They were nothing in comparison of what came!} My list of SuperBoy habits I’m working on right now: 1) Discerning the genuinely 3.7 year old melts versus the stinky tantrum. Is he melting down because she took his markers and he doesn’t want to share? Or…
Read More
Who me? I’m never not a good listener, good napper, good eater, and good older brother! Don’t listen to the complaints of my parents. Yes, SuperBoy is a total sweetheart, a great older brother, and a complete love. But he’s also human, meaning that from time to time we have outbursts of a two year, seven month old little boy. Whew, he is normal. I’ve got a whole section on toddler behavior chronicling our journey with him, figuring out how to help him help himself to cope with emotions, hormones, and the unpleasantness of not getting his way. Now that he’s a little beyond basic toddler behavior, we’ve had to approach discipline differently. There’s actually some verbal negotiations, some concessions on both sides, and a really strong sense of action —> consequence built into his brain. Because we tried to be firm and consistent with things that were and were not allowed (i.e., can’t respond to us with a “no!”; can’t throw food or other things that aren’t balls; angry fits will be treated calmly and with the threat of isolation if continued; and other general guiding principles), his outbursts of long long LOOOOOOONG tantrums have been mitigated to a degree. Here are our preschooler behavioral guidelines (to keep me sane, and him sane, and SweetPea alive): 1) Politeness. He is expected to respond “yes, please” or “no, thank you” when offered something. He always has to try one bite of a new food. He cannot shout NO at us. He…
Read More