Kenny will be three in a few months. So I can say with relief that there were no "terrible twos", few tantrums, and in general, things run very smoothly. I'd like to chalk it all up to our parenting, but I think the truth is that Kenny is very easy-going and happy.
Okay, I do want to take some credit here. Having firm consequences for misbehavior eliminates a lot of whining and temper tantrums. I'm a huge fan of the book 1-2-3 Magic, by Thomas Phelan. That's what we've based our discipline techniques on. It boils down to firm, reasonable consequences, consistently applied.
Also, I troubleshoot the problems that we have. For example, recently I had some issues with getting Kenny dressed. He can get himself dressed, albeit slowly. But frequently he would rather play than get dressed, so I had to nag, remind, cajole, and punish when he dawdled. I had a flash of insight, which led to me creating a rule. Now, well before it's time to leave, I present him with his clothes for the day. Then, he needs to stay in his room until he's dressed. He gets dressed immediately because he wants to be around me, and play until it's time to leave.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
The ability to feel guilty
Feeling guilty is often derided in pop culture as unhealthy and not leading to good self-esteem. I disagree. I have as healthy a sense of self esteem as anyone I know, yet if I feel that I've done something wrong, or caused someone a problem, I have the ability to wallow in guilt for days.
A recent experience I had at work illuminated this. I worked with somebody who categorically said that a certain feature (I work with computer systems) wasn't possible. And they were in a position to know. This feature would have saved a huge amount of time, so I did some extra research, to satisfy myself that this feature was indeed not possible. And lo and behold, it was 100% possible. So, you'd think that the person who originally had stated categorically that the feature wasn't possible would feel, if not actually guilty, at least a little perturbed. Discomfited, perhaps. But no. Once they were shown to be wrong, the story became, "Well, it won't save that much time anyway".
Something like that can really change your desire to work with someone in the future. Feeling guilty is a valuable indicator that the person will probably take pains to avoid that kind of situation in the future. Hopefully they'll take what they say more seriously. On the other hand, not showing any remorse at all is a danger sign - don't trust this person.
A recent experience I had at work illuminated this. I worked with somebody who categorically said that a certain feature (I work with computer systems) wasn't possible. And they were in a position to know. This feature would have saved a huge amount of time, so I did some extra research, to satisfy myself that this feature was indeed not possible. And lo and behold, it was 100% possible. So, you'd think that the person who originally had stated categorically that the feature wasn't possible would feel, if not actually guilty, at least a little perturbed. Discomfited, perhaps. But no. Once they were shown to be wrong, the story became, "Well, it won't save that much time anyway".
Something like that can really change your desire to work with someone in the future. Feeling guilty is a valuable indicator that the person will probably take pains to avoid that kind of situation in the future. Hopefully they'll take what they say more seriously. On the other hand, not showing any remorse at all is a danger sign - don't trust this person.
Monday, July 03, 2006
The Worst Diet in the World; continued
Can't sleep now for hunger (see previous post), so I'm going to jot down some of the things I'm craving right now.
Tops on the list - the Greek omelet with feta cheese and spinach, at Goldbergs Deli at Factoria Mall.
Artichoke dip - the kind that's made with about half mayonnaise and the other half sour cream. Very rich and creamy.
Anything, really, that's rich and salty. Nowhere on the list is anything sweet. This is probably because the only things I've been drinking are Kool Aid and Ensure, both of which are very sweet.
I tried a small piece of Triscuit this afternoon, just because they were out. It was a particularly bad thing to try, since it's very fibrous and rough, and almost felt like it got stuck in my throat.
Tops on the list - the Greek omelet with feta cheese and spinach, at Goldbergs Deli at Factoria Mall.
Artichoke dip - the kind that's made with about half mayonnaise and the other half sour cream. Very rich and creamy.
Anything, really, that's rich and salty. Nowhere on the list is anything sweet. This is probably because the only things I've been drinking are Kool Aid and Ensure, both of which are very sweet.
I tried a small piece of Triscuit this afternoon, just because they were out. It was a particularly bad thing to try, since it's very fibrous and rough, and almost felt like it got stuck in my throat.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
The Worst Diet in the World
I'm on a diet now, and have been for the past 5 days. I'm losing a lot of weight - down 6 lbs - but I didn't want to lose weight, and I don't want to be on a diet. This is an involuntary diet, caused by not being able to swallow without severe pain.
I'll explain. I was prescribed an antibiotic called doxycycline, and started taking it last Sunday, twice a day. Monday night I took the regular dosage, and went to bed. During the night I felt some discomfort in my chest, and thought perhaps the pill hadn't gone down correctly. Tuesday morning I was pretty sure something like that had happened, and tried eating some cereal to help it go down. Swallowing was painful.
Swallowing continued to be painful on Wednesday as well. I wasn't sure anymore that it was caused by the pill, and researched on the internet for heartburn, thinking that was perhaps what it was. I also searched for "pill stuck in throat", and finally found the right information.
It turns out that doxycycline is one of the prime culprits in pill-induced esophagitis, or injury to the esophagus. It's quite caustic, so if it gets stuck in your esophagus, it can cause ulcers. If you take it right before going to bed, and don't drink a full glass of water, you could end up in the morning with a big problem.
So, at least I knew what it was, but aside from the satisfaction of knowing, this information didn't help me very much. Thursday I progressed from just feeling pain while swallowing to feeling ill and feverish. Friday I was in bed all day, feeling very ill, Saturday (yesterday) I was in bed all day as well, but Saturday around noon I turned a corner, and am now starting to feel like I'm on the mend in terms of general health. However, the pain during swallowing is as bad as it ever was. I haven't eaten solids for 2 days now, and am living off Ensure and Kool-Aid. And I literally groan with pain whenever I take a swallow.
A big thumbs-down for Rite Aid, where I had the doxycycline prescription filled. I wasn't warned to not take it right before going to bed, wasn't warned to drink plenty of water. In fact, I never spoke to a pharmacist at all, and was never asked if I wanted to speak to a pharmacist. They have a terrible system whereby, as you get the drug, you have to check one of two boxes. Choice 1 is "I decline to be counseled by a pharmcist", and Choice 2 is "I have already been counseled by a pharmacist". They never actually ask you if you'd like to speak with a pharmacist, you just check one of these boxes.
I'll explain. I was prescribed an antibiotic called doxycycline, and started taking it last Sunday, twice a day. Monday night I took the regular dosage, and went to bed. During the night I felt some discomfort in my chest, and thought perhaps the pill hadn't gone down correctly. Tuesday morning I was pretty sure something like that had happened, and tried eating some cereal to help it go down. Swallowing was painful.
Swallowing continued to be painful on Wednesday as well. I wasn't sure anymore that it was caused by the pill, and researched on the internet for heartburn, thinking that was perhaps what it was. I also searched for "pill stuck in throat", and finally found the right information.
It turns out that doxycycline is one of the prime culprits in pill-induced esophagitis, or injury to the esophagus. It's quite caustic, so if it gets stuck in your esophagus, it can cause ulcers. If you take it right before going to bed, and don't drink a full glass of water, you could end up in the morning with a big problem.
So, at least I knew what it was, but aside from the satisfaction of knowing, this information didn't help me very much. Thursday I progressed from just feeling pain while swallowing to feeling ill and feverish. Friday I was in bed all day, feeling very ill, Saturday (yesterday) I was in bed all day as well, but Saturday around noon I turned a corner, and am now starting to feel like I'm on the mend in terms of general health. However, the pain during swallowing is as bad as it ever was. I haven't eaten solids for 2 days now, and am living off Ensure and Kool-Aid. And I literally groan with pain whenever I take a swallow.
A big thumbs-down for Rite Aid, where I had the doxycycline prescription filled. I wasn't warned to not take it right before going to bed, wasn't warned to drink plenty of water. In fact, I never spoke to a pharmacist at all, and was never asked if I wanted to speak to a pharmacist. They have a terrible system whereby, as you get the drug, you have to check one of two boxes. Choice 1 is "I decline to be counseled by a pharmcist", and Choice 2 is "I have already been counseled by a pharmacist". They never actually ask you if you'd like to speak with a pharmacist, you just check one of these boxes.
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