Sticking to my Guns

I will stick to the rules I laid out.  I won't give in just because it takes more time or to stop the whining.  I will remember that what I teach my daughter today forms who she will be tomorrow. 

These are the things I keep telling myself when I'm feeling tired or frustrated.  I've been working on teaching my toddler to put away her toys after she's done playing with them.  That also means cleaning up messes that she makes.  I have to say that some days this is easier to say then to do.  Sometimes I just want to pick them up myself instead of wasting the added 20 minutes or leaving them there for another day.
 

My reason, I'm too dang tired.  I'm going on 31 weeks pregnant with my second child and I'm also running this house solo for now.  The only thing that keeps me going is that I don't want my kid to turn into a horror like some other examples I see.  I love my child enough to know that the rules and boundaries I place today benefit her in the future.  It also helps knowing that I will have help in a few weeks when my family comes.
 

This is my parenting style and I just needed to remind myself why I'm doing this.  What about you?  What are you having trouble with?  What lessons are you currently trying to enforce in your household?

Discipline

There are times when nothing I do seems to work with my toddler.  It's as though as her confidence grows so does her willingness to talk back.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm no expert at discipline.  I just try my best to reinforce consequences for bad behavior.  Izzy can throw a tantrum like the best of them with the tears, the screaming and even flailing legs for an added affect.  That said I still think that generally Izzy is pretty well behaved.

We had another play date today with our neighbor and her two year old.  It seems a little harsh to say but I think she is out of control.  The first two times I could chalk it up to her being overly tired.  At this point I want to say it's just her behavior.  I watched as she repeatedly did things against her mother's wishes when the consequences weren't enforced.  At one point she came to whisper to me a request that her mother just told her she couldn't do.

I felt for the mother, she genuinely seemed frustrated at her child's behavior. I only reinforced what the mother already told her.  I smiled and inwardly cringed at the havoc she was doing to my house.  I still want the two girls to become friends but I don't' want Bella's bad behavior to rub off on Izzy. Have you ever been in the position where you wanted to jump in but didn't think you should?  Did you ever stop going to a play date in the chance the behavior would rub off on your child?

Discipline for Toddlers

Yesterday, a friend of mine posted to her Facebook "As a stay at home mom there are a few days I want to scream 'I don't want to do this sh#@ no more!!!  That would be today.'"  I could feel the frustration she was feeling by her words.  I am confident I can say that all moms have been there at least once during their time as a parent.  Even with the love we feel for our children there are times when the battle of wills becomes too much and our frustration overwhelms us.

Emotions

This is especially true during toddlerhood.  My daughter tests her limits and mine on a daily basis.  At some moments it's repeating an action I don't want her to do.  Other times she's unable to deal with her own anger or frustration which results in a temper tantrum of epic proportions.  At home, the tantrums are easier to deal with the ones out in public.  I try my best not to be that mom with the out of control child.  You know the ones I'm talking about.

The question I pose to you is what are your methods of dealing with discipline?  I found an article at Baby Center about successful discipline strategies for every age.  Have you ever tried these?  Do they work for you?  Join in on the conversation.

What Would You Do?

Today we had potential renters come to view the house.  It was a mother and two school aged boys.  After coming through the door the boys rushed in and started playing with Izzy's toys.  As we explored the house they threw toys on the floor, jumped on her bed and kicked the ball inside almost hitting Izzy.  They never once asked permission and ignored their mother asking them to stop.  Keep in mind that I had just spent an hour before cleaning the house so it looked presentable.  Inside I was cringing at their disregard for my house and the lack of respect they showed to their mother.  I was in an odd place, unsure if I should concentrate on describing and answering questions about the house or addressing their behavior.  In the 10 minutes I observed their interaction it seemed to me as if the mother had no control over them.  What would you have done in a similar position?  Please join in on the conversation.