Throw it All out the Window!

You would think that all of my experience with babysitting would prove helpful....
You would think that having a degree in early childhood education would prove beneficial...
You would think that my reading parenting books and articles would lend me some reliable information...

WELL...I'm here to tell you to throw it all out the window!!!...well...maybe not all of it. Sure, I've gained some valuable knowledge and experiences from all of the things listed above. However, none of those things are the Bible of raising kids. Let's just say, use them as a launching pad....a starting point....work it out your way....the way that works for you. THAT'S what I have learned.

This is true for ALL situations that you will cross in the lovely journey of parenthood, but I will only write about the constant battle that I am having in my house at this time.....

The Battle of the Time Out Chair.

 

I recall the day when I was young and idiotic...thinking that I knew all but really didn't know a thing. I remember saying, "Why on Earth are they letting their kid do THAT???!!! If I were their parent, I would do THIS." Ahhhhh....now I see.

We have been struggling with discipline for quite some time. I think around ten months, I noticed the twins, doing things...intentionally. My theory was, "If they can look back at me and smile before they do something wrong, then they can understand some discipline!" We began by diverting their attention to something else when they were in the act if doing something "bad"  (because that was what I have read to do). Well, I'm sorry, it's hard to divert their attention to something else when they are standing up in their plates on their high chair.  We then moved to the popping of hands (in my book, that's not abuse, okay???). When my children began doing something "bad" and then spanking their own hands, I realized that  wouldn't work, either. So, here we are now at eighteen months and we have initiated the time-out chair.

At first, the time-out chair seemed to work.  Faith and Cameron clearly didn't want to go to time-out, they stayed there, and seemed to "get" the concept.  I was SO excited...YAY...something that really worked!  However, the timeout chair has lost some of its magical powers....not all of them...just some. The kids will still stay there when I put them in it and they are eager to get down. BUT...they are seeing it as somewhat of a game, now. They may laugh or stand up in the chair....they have even eased their way down the chair so that their tippy-toes are almost touching the floor (that's when they look at me and laugh). Ahhhhh....these kids are too much! They are just too mischievous and smart for their own good.

They have even forced me to act like a child myself. On several occasions, I have taken all of the smiles and taunting laughs from them in the time-out chair that I can take. I go and get something that they LOVE, and cruelly taunt THEM. Hey,  they have to see that time-out means that they miss out on something...AND IT IS NOT FUNNY. For example....popsicles....what kid does not like popsicles? Yep, this is terrible...but Faith sat down with me and ate a popsicle right in front of Cam as he sat in timeout. How cruel am I???  Faith LOVES lotion. Cam and I applied lotion to our legs while Faith watched from timeout. I know...very cruel.  The sad thing is that I'm not sure it even worked. Time-out, however, IS the thing that we have had the most luck with, however. Some days it works better than others. So, I guess we will stick to it.

After the constant discipline battle, here are the important lessons that I have learned:

1. Never talk about someone elses child, because, let's face it...your child will do the exact same thing.

2.  Never say that you will never do it this way or the other (regarding discipline), because, let's face it...you will do whatever works.

AND

3. I always thought Super Nanny was so stupid with her stupid naughty chair. I always thought that I could MAKE my kids mind.  Ha...maybe she was right and had some decent ideas! :)

Pictures to come soon! :)