Sunday, January 16, 2011
How Do You Get Mad at Someone so Cute?
Image from here via Google Images
Little One was quietly playing while I was doing the dishes. I stress the word "quietly". Of course, it was too quiet! I looked over my shoulder to see her with the sugar container and ALL its contents dumped all over the kitchen floor. She then started dancing all over the spilled sugar. "Help, Mama! Help!", she smiled.
"Ohhhhh!!! Arrrrgh! [Insert Little One's real name here], why did you do that? That is not nice!"
I brought her over to her little chair near the kitchen window and told her to sit there. As if sitting there to contemplate what she had just done would even work. She's still too young to register the meaning of a time out. Sure, she's two, but she's younger than two (corrected age since she was a preemie).
Thinking
"Mama! Sun, bird, snow, puppy, cow!" She was listing off all the things she could see from the kitchen window.
Of course, I had to laugh. She was just too cute, happily chirping away and naming all the things she could see from the window. She makes me laugh.
Why didn't anyone ever tell me how frustrating, challenging, yet funny and endearing it would be to be a parent?
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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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10 comments:
Moherhood is most definitely the hardest job ever. I think that no matter how much people tell you bow difficult being a parent is, you never really understand until you become a parent yourself.
PS. Time out for my son is funny too ;)
~I remember so many similar circumstances I've encountered over 24 yrs of full-time parenting!
Tristan and Mason were on their hands and knees lapping up spilled milk in front of the refrigerator. I quickly learned not to ever cut open a full bag, and always keep it on the highest shelf where they can't reach it!
I have a photo that I took while they didn't see me. I couldn't allow them to know I was slightly entertained (and disgusted) at the same time!
How wonderful that you blog all of these stories about Little One. It will make for some great memories to remember as you go back and read through all of them!
Enjoy the journey. They grow up too fast!
ps. Teaching them early about time-outs is actually a great thing! My mom used to tell me I was being too harsh on the boys bc they were just babies!
Well, by the time they were old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong, I didn't have to discipline them!
I remember asking Tristan, "What's that?" In his little baby voice he's say, "no touchy" while wagging his little finger and shaking his head! He was so cute....lol. He had no idea what the real names of items were. Everything that wasn't a toy was called "No Touchy"!
Not a big fan of time out, or at least, not always. In my mind, it's more a matter of correcting the problem they have created. Sometimes that is indeed a time out, but sometimes it is having them help you to clean up the mess they have made, which would be messier probably, and a pain, but also more in keeping with fixing the problem. My mom called it "logical consequences", and sometimes I would have much rather been put into a time out or spanked than deal with the stupid consequences of my actions. But they generally worked.
And I love how cute she was looking out the window. LOVE.
~I agree about the time-outs. Logical consequences and fixing the problem are definitely great lessons!
I used the time-outs for when things were really hairy and they needed to learn to step back, take a breather, then carry on once that feeling of destruction or temper tantrum subsided.
Being able to sit, breath, and regain control is a very valuable lesson----just as important or even more so than fixing things.
I'm huge on prevention! It's not always acceptable to do naughty things (even as an adult) and then figure it's okay to throw some things around as long as you clean up after yourself.
I give myself time-outs....but prefer to call it meditation...lol
Kimberly:
Soooooooooo true! It most definitely is the hardest job I've ever had! :) It's the best...even in the most challenging times! :) lol
C4D:
LOL! Oh, my! I'd love to see that photo!
J:
I'm not a fan of time outs either. In fact, Little One has never had one before the other day. I think she's actually still too young (corrected age) to understand. I'm not keen on the idea either. I think prevention is important. Sometimes it's not always possible, though. I think I was just so strung out and stressed that I just plopped her on the chair for a few minutes so I could "re-group".
I've been REALLY stressed out lately. My BP has been off the charts, which is not usual for me. I not only teach 5 days a week, but have taken on a tutoring job 2 nights a week. Luckily, I have dance 2x a week...and the play is starting soon. I think having everything plus the ALL of the housework is draining me. *sigh* I'll figure it out though.
No, prevention isn't always possible. And while I don't think we had time-outs growing up, I do know my mom would take them. We were much older than L.O. She'd say, "I'm so angry right now, I don't know WHAT TO DO. So go to your room, and I'll tell you when it's safe to come out." She never spanked or hit us, but still, we were SCARED.
No, prevention doesn't work as often as we would like. But getting them to help you clean up a mess is better than a time out, if it's sugar or something. If it's their toys, then you put them away for a few days, saying, "Do you want me to put them away, or do you want to put them away?" If they put them away, good. If you put them away, you put them in the closet or somewhere for a few days. It works.
And if you're stressed out (understandable with all you have on your plate), you should try to put some of the pressure elsewhere...and if you can't, just do whatever you have to do. Time out? Good. Give the kid to hubby or mom while you take a drive or a walk or go get a cup of tea? Perfect. Whatever it takes to not stress too much. Hang in there honey. 3 is harder than 2. But you'll get there.
She sounds just like D! Two but still young to understand "punishment". Poor you that must have been quite the mess to clean up..good post :-))
Oh, how cute!! I love this, C. I would have laughed at how cute she is, too, I'm sure!