I have been told I'm stubborn. I prefer to use the word 'determined' instead - I think it has a much more positive connotation. Anyway, Hannah seems to have the same trait. We've never had any major issues as a result, but last Saturday we had our first major battle with Hannah.
I pulled out an old phone book to be thrown away and it was left on the floor (my first mistake). She and Sofia started playing in it and ripped out a couple of pages. They were being entertained so I told Hannah she could play with the pages (second mistake), but she would have to pick everything up when she was done . Anyway, she was playing while I was getting everything ready - we were going to meet James on campus for a picnic. After a few minutes everything was ready and it was time to leave, so I asked Hannah to pick up the paper she had ripped so we could go. She was excited about going to have a picnic with Daddy, so I thought it would be a quick process. As long as she's motivated, she's usually pretty good about doing what we ask. Unfortunately, she wasn't done playing. After trying to cajole her to pick up the mess for quite some time (maybe 30-40 minutes) I was getting weary of it. So, I set the timer and told her if it wasn't picked up by the time the timer went off we weren't going to go have lunch with Daddy. Well, when the timer went off she was in the process of pulling the paper out of the trash that she had picked up and throwing it on the floor. At this point I was really irritated, because I wanted to go have a picnic with Daddy at school. BUT, I had to stick to my word, so I called James to tell him we weren't coming for lunch. Hannah then started to cry, and then to scream, but still refused to pick up the darn paper. After giving her a couple of opportunities it was lunch time. I fed Sofia, but Hannah wasn't allowed to eat until the mess was cleaned up. After Daddy came home he and I ate, but she still couldn't eat. USually food is a good motivator for her, but not this time. Anyway, long story short the time-outs started and a lot of crying and screaming ensued. I can only imagine what our neighbors might have been thinking. Let's just say it was a long day. She fell asleep for her nap while in time out. Here's a picture of that.
We ended up spend the afternoon battling. She kept refusing to clean it up, but we felt like we had to stand firm in order to set the precedence. Finally, after 6 ours, she gave in and picked up the mess. Once it was over James and I were both tired, but she was happy as could be. Go figure.
Please tell me this is not the first of many to come.
5 comments:
Good for you - hang in here and remember some day they grow up to be your best friend.
This sounds just like many incidents with Sophie when she was that age :) As much as I loved and adored her she made me want to pull my hair out on many occasions. We always said if we could just channel this stubbornness in the right direction she'd be set for life. I hate to say it but she really changed when she was about 4 1/2. Good luck! You did a great job holding her to your word. Who knew parenting would be so hard, right? But totally worth every second!
The challenge in parenting is anticipating the next incedent to prevent it or at least direct it in a desireable direction.
Good luck.
Dad
Well you are doing a better job than I ever did. I usually eventually gave in and Dad always gave in much before I was willing. Great that you both support each other. Mom
I remember a big battle I had with Anne like that when she was just turning two, on her birthday actually. It stunk, but we haven't had too many like that since then. For me it seems like fighting the big battles now even though it's frustrating as can be makes life easier for everyone in the long run. Good job fellow new Mama. :)
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