This is what happens when Tarzan swings from his curtains. This is why I highly doubt I'll redo his bedroom before he's 14. Up until that time, he can proudly bring his friends into his room - still decorated with Thomas the Tank, Disney's Cars, teddy bears and such like. I'll then show his friends a picture of this as explanation of why my son has been so deprived.
He is currently serving a two week restriction from the computer, as well as getting no bed time stories in that time frame. His dad chose this latter punishment so he can lie in his room, listen to his sister get a story, and look up at his curtain rod (which will be left just like this until after this two weeks) and remember that monkeys really do belong in the jungle.
I must say that when I first discovered this a few days ago, my little sonny-boy was a little concerned when I told him that I was going to give dad a call. To be fair, I usually take care of any discipline that happens while the kids are in my charge (which is 90 percent of the time) because I don't want dad to be the big-bad-booger. However, I really didn't have any wonderful ideas on how best to handle this one. I didn't want to over or under discipline and I didn't want it to be typical. Anyway, when dad walked in the house to go and take a little peek, it was so quiet in the kitchen (we were eating lunch) you could have heard a pin drop. When dad asked him what he thought should be done, he replied,
"Get a spanking?"
"Really? You really want a spanking?" dad asks.
"Well, no, I don't," was his answer.
Not believing a spanking would really deliver the intended message, his discipline was delivered as stated above. It took him one whole day, however, to inform me that he "thought it was about time he got to use the computer again". He really has no clue how long two weeks is, but he sure will by the time he has served his sentence by the middle of next week.
This afternoon I made sonny-boy lie down, a typical Sunday afternoon ritual for all of us. Kissing him before I left his room, he very seriously informed me that,
"I really don't think that we should tell dad."
Surprised (and stifling a chuckle), I asked him what we "shouldn't tell dad about", because I hadn't a clue what the little turkey had done this time.
"That I smashed the sidewalk chalk." (Gasp!) They had been playing outside decorating the sidewalk earlier.
"How did you smash the sidewalk chalk?" I asked, having full understanding of the severity of this sin.
"I threw it against a rock!" he stated.
After I left, I whispered the story to daddy to share a good laugh.
Perhaps his little conscience is improving. After all, it is not typical for sonny-boy to confess a sin before it is discovered.
Perhaps things are looking up.
Perhaps things are looking up.
7 comments:
my suggestion? Get rid of the curtains! Have a valence only or no curtains at all!
Mrs. Wizzle: Truthfully, I didn't see this coming (stupid, maybe), but he's had these curtains up for a few months and I had told him not to pull on them.
As far as getting rid of them altogether, I'd have to think about that. I was not the kind to remove the "breakables" when they were babies/toddlers, only some unsafe stuff, believing that they just had to learn not to touch everything. I wouldn't want Junior to think he can pull on curtains at someone else's house, so I want him to learn not to pull on them here. Hopefully this lesson has been taught. I'll just have to be a bit more diligent, as well.
Thanks for the comment.
Had a good chuckle at the picture, Dar. Also had a visual at the monkey swing he must have pulled, too! The little scamp.
I do have to agree with you on not removing the curtains, though. I was also the parent who didn't remove the breakables for the very same reason: if at somene else's house, how on earth were they to learn NOT to touch something, if they at first didn't learn it in their own home?
Without meaning to turn this into a "psycho-analasis" sisuation, I wonder if we have a generation of children who have grown up having the "breakables" removed and never learning not to touch? And now we have a generation that when you say "no" that isn't good, or "no" that isn't yours, or just plain "no", they just don't get it? They are rude, disrepectful and they think the world owes them. I just remember when I was raising my girls, I was a minority with the "leavng the breakables out" philosophy.
Just a thought that maybe this could be a contributing factor.
The scary thing is, Laura, that I know that this is the EASY time of their lives. If I struggle with teaching obedience now, then really, I'm HOOPED. I am by no means perfect in this regard now, so I'll hold on to what little victories that I have already won. The truth is, my kids have never been out of line in someone else's house (with regard to treating their house with respect), and to my recollection, never broke anything in my own house while they were toddlers. The few things they have broken up to now have not been out of disobedience.
Now their manners and mouths, well they're much more difficult............but I'm working on it.
I laughed quite hard when I heard this story. It is rather entertaining. Probably more so because he is not my kid.
"I smashed the sidewalk chalk."
ROFL
i'm sitting here at work laughing quietly but looking like i'm special trying to keep myself from bursting out laughing! Heavens!
Rachel: Trust me, this was funny, even to me. I just couldn't let him know it.
Vren: Glad to make you laugh at work. You always make my day when you stop by.
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