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.
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