Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Discipline - Third Child Style


Our littlest little demon princess is almost 20 months old and we've already determined the following:

1. I was correct on the puberty theory in girls (you can read the theory under the post of Fuck You Hormones)
2. Your third child definitely gets away with more
3. Little kids are funny

We've really been trying to work on discipline with her because....well because she's bad! She's stubborn and determined and like most toddlers, no is her favorite word. Except she really means no. We've already been having some major battle of the wills.

We've been employing the time out method of discipline with her. I've even gone all Nanny Jo on her and give her a warning (If you don't do X, then you will go to time out) and an explaination after the time out. Sure she's sorry when she gets out, but she usually goes right back to doing whatever it was that earned her the time out in the first place.

Saturday took the cake though. There were some boxes of Kleenex on our recliner that Hubby hadn't quite gotten around to putting away. She thought it would be a really fun game to throw them around. I told her no and to pick them up. She looked at me and laughed. Yes, you read that right - laughed. So, I told her that if she didn't pick them up by the time I counted to 3, she was going in time out. She laughed again.

At this point, I was feeling my hairs turning gray.

In an effort to stay consistent, I gritted my teeth and said, "One". Abby's response??? "Two, Free" followed by wild giggling. After I picked my jaw up from the shock that my 19 month old baby knows how to count (to five no less!) I couldn't help but laugh. What are you supposed to do with a child that does their own count down?

She did finally pick up the tissues.

5 comments:

ExtraordinaryMommy said...

oh....I have the boy version of your toddler! I know just how you feel! My son actually says, "I go ty out" when he knows he's about to get in trouble!

Sasha said...

Watch out. Sounds like she is like WC. There is ornery-ness to come, I promise.....

BusyDad said...

Oh that fine line we walk between authority figure and biggest fan!

Deb said...

Ha! I was a third child, and I was THAT child. Then I became the teenager who was smart enough to break rules and not get caught. Watch that one... she may be your most successful child of them all. Those pot-stirring skills of mine took me very far professionally. I don't know how my parents survived it, though.

Kate said...

Deb - Can you ask your parents how they survived? I need some tips!!!

BD - Biggest Fan = Daddy in Abby's eyes. I'm just the wench who cleans her mess and makes her food!! :D

Sash - HELP!!!

Extraordinary - We just point to time out and she goes...certainly not much of a punishment!