Did you try taking the consistency challenge? I tried it. I picked two things to focus on. I did not see life altering changes, but I did see progress.
First, my son started to find creative ways to prolong his nap and bedtime. He would ask for more milk and another song. I justified the milk because I figure it is a basic need, right? As for the additional song, well, who can resist a little boy asking his mother for another song? Unfortunately, even when I indulged him, he would be crying for me to come back once I left the room. So, I finally saw what was happening (and realized he did not try this with my partner, because he never fell into our son’s trap!). Therefore, I started being consistent. I let him know when it was the last chance for milk and the last song. At the end of the week, he continued to ask for the additional mile and song, but the whining stopped before I left the room.
Second, I want to follow up on my post from last week – meaning what I say. Now, when I say, “it is the last time down the slide”, I follow through. It is hard to resist the sweet little voice saying, “again, please” followed by a whiney, “pleeeaaaase”. But, the result is priceless: less whining!
If you tried it too, submit a comment and let me know how it went. If not, try it this upcoming week and post your results. It is one of the toughest parts of parenting and something that takes continued practice, so don’t be surprised if it comes up again in another blog post!
First, my son started to find creative ways to prolong his nap and bedtime. He would ask for more milk and another song. I justified the milk because I figure it is a basic need, right? As for the additional song, well, who can resist a little boy asking his mother for another song? Unfortunately, even when I indulged him, he would be crying for me to come back once I left the room. So, I finally saw what was happening (and realized he did not try this with my partner, because he never fell into our son’s trap!). Therefore, I started being consistent. I let him know when it was the last chance for milk and the last song. At the end of the week, he continued to ask for the additional mile and song, but the whining stopped before I left the room.
Second, I want to follow up on my post from last week – meaning what I say. Now, when I say, “it is the last time down the slide”, I follow through. It is hard to resist the sweet little voice saying, “again, please” followed by a whiney, “pleeeaaaase”. But, the result is priceless: less whining!
If you tried it too, submit a comment and let me know how it went. If not, try it this upcoming week and post your results. It is one of the toughest parts of parenting and something that takes continued practice, so don’t be surprised if it comes up again in another blog post!
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