No!

-
How about we get our coats on and get in the car?

NO

What if we get our pjs on and get snuggly?

No

What about vegetables with your noodles?

No


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over vacation I realized that Lucy has finally realized that it is possible to rebel (and win). She has, thus far, been quite an easy baby and toddler.  She pushed a little along the way, but she often complies.  She never tantrums (unlike her brother) and although she may say "no" she always ends up coming along.

Well, that has recently shifted.

Sometimes I feel like I am talking to a wall.  Yesterday I think I took three separate instructions for a meal-time drink.  After the third "mistake" I made I thought to myself (WTF am I doing here?).

Also, Lucy normally makes me look great out in public.  I am never chasing her, yelling at her or for her and she is almost always polite and friendly.  Yet, over the past couple days I have had outings where I felt like the embarrassed parent.  You know...that parent.

Exhibit A:
This is not the actual photo, but it's how I remember it.
On the real only about 4 bread loaves fell, but this is how I FELT!
I knocked over a display at Stew Leonards. Details are not really important..they are too embarrassing to recount.  Let's just say running in two different directions and ending up with no children in either arm and a floor full of bread loaves was not cute.

 Exhibit B:
I grabbed Lucy shoeless and kicking out of a play date.  It was about 10 degrees and I was close to crying just as much as she was.

Each day I went through a cycle of emotions - anger, sadness, disappointment, embarrassment and then the inevitable guilt.  As any good teacher does I immediately went to the internet to research.

Found this site that put things into perspective for me.  I love that she repeated numerous times that toddler rebellion is "normal."  Phew.  To be honest, I do much of what she suggests here, but I am going to continue on and be very, very faithful with my follow-through.  This is something I struggle with as a teacher too - who woulda thunk?

I also really liked this site.  I know reward systems are important.  I've done sticker charts, m&ms, marble jars - hell I am still doing them.  Lucy is very into "snackies" but I don't want that to turn into a bigger problem, if you know what I mean.  But I loved that "moon snack" idea.  It involves the nature, the world, special family time and a sugary treat - is there anything better?

Anyone else have suggestions that worked for them?  I am totally open.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mom...The Potty Flipped Over

-
Image
Just when you think you've got it all together.... Your son comes to tell you that there is poop on the floor.  So even though he's been potty trained for a nearly a year and ASKS for privacy when he goes, there are still mishaps.  Like, well this: He was such an easy kid to potty train...a few skittles here, a few there and BAM, bye bye diapers.  Yet, he has his quirks.  For instance, I am not sure why his own private potty ended up getting flipped over, but I do know that he was in there building a fortress with toilet paper.  It's what he does - I don't know, I tend to think it's creative and not destructive. I think my mistake was loading up the shelf with fresh new rolls (I did that at 7am).  It was all just too exciting for him. And so even though this was the first day in history that both children slept until 8am allowing me to deep clean the bathroom (again at 7am) I was right back at it at 11am. Please remind me of this as I have a full-blow
Read more

Read Number 6.

-
Image
A few years ago I heard the phrase "self-care".  In fact, it was a doctor who looked me square in the face and asked me "what do you do for self-care?" I had (no joke) NEVER heard this phrase before.  NEVER.  It must have shown on my face, but she didn't even flinch and went on to ask what I did for myself.  Like without guilt to take care of myself.  I thought for a minute and listed off things like sleeping in once a week, morning showers, taking the long way home from work while listening to murder podcasts (the usual??) These apparently are not things that count as self-care.  (I mean I guess they are a little bit, but she wanted to examples of what I was doing to better my self-worth and happiness).  Even now that school started, I can't think of much -- actually,  sometimes I leave work early and eat my yogurt in my car and listen to my murder podcast for an extra 15 minutes. I find that recently there has even been a push for self-care in the
Read more

Guest Post - They Won't Get It, They'll Think I'm an Awful Mom

-
Image
Guest Post:  Alicia is a friend from high school who is a full-time working mom of one adorable boy, Cooper.  She's also building a make-up empire and blowing up Facebook with wildly entertaining videos and tutorials.  She makes everything look easy, which is why this blog is just that much more important.  Thanks for sharing Alicia. I was asked to write something MONTHS ago, and I promise, the commitment to put my thoughts on paper has never left my mind.  I’m embarrassed it took me this long.  But to be honest, I couldn’t get myself to write down my story, because if I did, it would somehow make my failures more real.  (Sure, I know we’re always the hardest on ourselves, and I know I’m not a failure, but the thoughts, “could I have done better…can I DO better?” constantly run through my mind.) Let me step back for a second.  It took my husband and I well over a year to get pregnant with Cooper.  Two heartbreaking miscarriages, low progesterone and a blood-clotting diso
Read more