I have asked before, and am still interested in knowing where you got the "love more" sign in your entryway {see this post but don't look at it when it's all gross and brown, scroll down to after I painted it green}. I love it and SO need that reminder in my home right now. Can you please email me or post it on your blog? I would appreciate it so much.
I've had many questions about this lately so here you go: I went to Home Depot and had some wood cut to the dimensions I needed, sanded it down, painted it, and then painted the swirly "Love More" letters on it free-hand. After I painted them I used a Sharpie marker to kind of highlight the shadows so the letters look like they stand out a little bit. Then I got a quilt rope thing at Walmart and hot-glued it around the edge to create some dimension.
I have three little ones (barely 4, 2 1/2, and 6 months). My 4-year-old has always been the most obedient, helpful, loving little guy. Lately, though, he is TOTALLY pushing the limits... not responding when I am talking to him, harassing his little sister, yelling at me when I ask him to do something, etc. I'm completely taken by surprise because it came on so suddenly. We've never had to have any major discipline system in place because he's always been so good and easy. Anyway, do you have any suggestions for me?
The first thing that comes to mind when my kids change their behavior suddenly like that is that they are craving more attention. That's when they need extra snuggling and also maybe some extra "praise/responsibility." "Praise/responsibility" (let's call it "P/R" for short) is when you say something like: "Oh my word, I have noticed that you are so good at helping with the baby!" {or something else you really have noticed they do well...emptying the silverware in the dishwasher, clearing their plate after dinner, etc.}. "I don't know many other kids who can do that as well as you do. I'm feeling like I really need some help from a really big-boy helper. Do you think you could keep the baby happy for a little bit to help me out?" And then when they do, praise them up and down. "Oh that makes me so happy that you can do that so well! You are helping our family so much!" I swear the "P/R" thing works every time. Kids feel so much more secure and happy when they feel they are helping and valued.
To give more praise you could also go with the "talents on the fingertips" route I talked about back here, but be forewarned that your child may become so fascinated with those fingertip letters that she may decide to add her own...
Yeah, that's after scrubbing for a while the tub...
And yeah, that's her chin.
She got her legs too.
I think those are "G's"...do they stand for "good"? OR maybe "gregarious"? Who knows. But I personally think she should have written "T"'s for body "tatoo" artist. I mean, I think it's pretty talented to be able to write letters on your chin for crying out loud.
But I digress...
The very, very best thing I can think of in almost any disciplining situation with little kids like this is distraction. It works miracles I tell you. When Lu is pushing the limits I try my darnedest to remember not to let my emotions get in the way and change the subject. I'll say things like this in a very over-animated voice: "Oh my GOSH Lu, did you remember to tell Dad what you did at school today??" Or "Hey, I have a great idea! We haven't done a puzzle for a long time, let's go see if we can find a new one." Or "I have an important question for you: I'm wondering if you know how to draw a kitty." You know, stuff like that. I don't know if it's just Lucy, but it gets her every time. It sometimes even gets my bigger kids :)
The "not letting emotions get in the way" part is the key, because really, it's only going to give more fuel to the fire to get upset or openly frustrated. I know if a child is yelling at you it's the toughest thing in the world to keep your cool, but counting to ten helps. Really. And getting mad back doesn't. Believe me, I've tried it :)
Also, I wrote a couple weeks ago about how much I love natural consequences, time out, and the 1-2-3 Magic
method. They work miracles. (If you haven't read that "1-2-3 Magic" book click here for more information that will change your life forever. That thing got me through my mothering of toddlers and pre-schoolers like magic :) I still do the 1-2-3- thing with my big kids and it works like a charm).
Which small camera would you recommend:
See the first question in this post.Labels: Q and A
And yeah, that's her chin.