So, Sam has been screaming a lot lately. And throwing some tantrums. And I am feeling like a poor parent because I simply do not know what to do. At all. And so, I try out about 40 different discipline methods a day with the result that Sam knows I am utterly helpless to his whims.
So, I got this book called 1-2-3 Magic. And I began to employ it's methods. For example (reality-based), I am cooking dinner and Sam asks me for a sucker. I say, no sweetheart. It's too near dinner time and you'll spoil your appetite. He screams at the top of his lungs. I say, that's one. He takes a magnet off the fridge and throws it down angrily. I say, that's two. He takes a really large toy and flings it across the room. I say, that's three. Timeout. And then he has to go into his bedroom and shut the door for two minutes. When two minutes are up, I open the door and say time out's over and it's done. No discussion, no further anger required on either of our parts.
So, yesterday morning in the car, we were happily driving along. And Sam let out a big old scream. Not really prompted by any need or frustration. More a vocalization, I guess. I turned around and looked at him and he said, rather sternly, "That's one."
Awesome. You know, Joe did that, too, when he was little. He went through a biting phase, and the babysitter would make him sit in time-out if he bit another kid. One day, she found him sitting in time out and had to go check the other kids for bite marks. But the good news is, it sounds like Sam's learning! He's so dang cute.
ReplyDeleteAlso, happy belated mother's day, my friend.