We are having discipline…

We are having discipline issues here. For example, yesterday afternoon, Anand opened the side gate, let the dog into the front yard (where she could run into the street), broke three of my alliums, and wandered into the neighbors' front yard to play with their rocks. All four actions expressly forbidden, repeatedly, and he knew it. I was totally enraged, and he was blithely singing and laughing, oblivious to anything I said about time outs, etc. In the end, I sent him up to his daddy and went out to run an errand, far away from my child.

When I got back, we had a whole discussion about how only good boys get mangoes, and he promised he would be a good boy. We'll see. I'm a little uncertain about using food as a reward / punishment, but he does like mango very much, and it's a lot more effective than threatening to take away toys or tv right now. I think those are more abstract for him.

The only good side to Anand snatching three of my alliums yesterday is that one survived uncrushed enough to put in a vase. Right to left: Purple Sensation allium, Zephrine Drouhin climbing rose, meadow sage.

5 thoughts on “We are having discipline…”

  1. Where were you when he was doing all this?

    The scariest part, besides Ellie’s potential to get in the street, is that Anand could have made it into the street as well. It’s lucky that he was more interested in checking out the neighbors’ rocks.

    Truly terrifying.

  2. What a weird question. Obviously I was passed out drunk on the kitchen floor. What else would a bad mother be doing?

  3. Oh man, that age just seems to be all about testing boundaries…physical, emotional, all of it! I think little kids just don’t “get” it when it comes to personal safety, no matter how many times we tell them. My 5 year old still isn’t reliable about parking lots & streets 100% of the time.

  4. If taking away mangos works, then go with it. I’d guess that within the next year mangos won’t work and you’ll have to think of something else.

    We used to take away Katie’s bathrobe and then it was her sleeping train and then it was her sleeping birdies and now… now we’re in another transition period. I think the most likely severe punishment will be that she has to miss swimming lessons, but we’re still giving it some thought.

    In the meantime, it sounds like Anand is more like Katie than Kavya so I’d suggest finding some way to Anand-proof the gate. We had 6 months where we were putting hook locks on everything.

    Much sympathy. I’ve always been envious of parents whose kids were repentent. Mine never has been.

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