One of the things I'm learning about being the mom of a strong-willed two-year-old (or any two-year-old, for that matter) is the need for consistency and follow-through. Today I was trying to figure out what to do with Tommy since I had the entire day free (very rare occasion) and I decided he would love to go to the mall, play with the train set at the bookstore, and eat ice cream at Chick Fil A. Sounded like a good idea to me. It did to him too. Until I told him he had to clean up his toys first. At this he promptly threw himself on the floor and had a massive fit. I was really disappointed because I had my heart set on going to the mall and now realized I needed to stay home with my grumpy child. But never fear, lunch and naptime came swiftly and I caught a few winks while he slept too. Apparently we were both refreshed.
When I woke up, he was just getting up as well and was happily cleaning up his toys in his room. He was so excited to tell Dean that he was being "obedinint". So when he was done, I followed through and took him to the mall. And we had a great time. I even had a great picture to prove it but I can't get it off of my phone!
How about this follow through... Tommy - I will buy you a big gallon of ice cream if you can make it through our next visit without saying "all done Uncle jas", hitting, or pushing me away.
ReplyDeleteThere - that one's in writing