For some reason I have been in the mood to write more lately. I go through these spells where I am "written-out" or that I find nothing that my kids do is funny....:). Then I go through times like now where I think of sentences to write right in the middle of an escapade and MUST write it out. Never have I so enjoyed writing.
This morning Seth woke up and came out to the living room to snuggle. He sat on my lap and told me that he had a dream. I asked him what this dream was about.
"I was wearing a costume," he answered.
"Oh?" I asked. "What kind of costume?"
"Batman," he said. I thought this rather amusing since the only thing he has in the house that's Batman is a lunch bag, which I haven't seen for ages.
"Actually, I would like to be Batman when I grow up," he said seriously, which I again found amusing.
We were sitting there snuggling; he attempted to "win my heart". He did not quite succeed.
"Mom," he said. "It would be alright if you made my bed for me this morning," he sweet talked. It didn't work. He made his own bed.
The sweet moments ENDED in the afternoon.
His behaviour really hasn't been getting better, so Dave and I had to make some serious re-evaluation. If he can't sit still and be quiet during church at this age (when he has gone to church since birth FOUR times a week); and if he can't sit still on the bus for 15 minutes when other younger kids can, then we've - or really I'VE - fallen short on some things.
So, he sat on a chair in the living room today for a total of 37 minutes - 7 minutes were added on. He was told he had to sit there - not lay there - not get off, and could not talk. AT ALL. Now, if this seems cruel and unusual to some, I apologize. In my opinion, however, parents are far too lenient these days on their kids' behaviour in public and I am obviously no exception to the rule. He needs to learn to sit for a time EVERY DAY and entertain himself quietly in his mind. As Dave said to me, "If you want to accomplish this in church, you have to accomplish it at home." And I agree.
He sat quiet for 23 minutes. Then he made a monkey noise, so I added on 7 minutes. He got the picture and was angelic after that. He knows this will be a daily occurrence as long as it takes for him to change his behaviour in public. And I discovered something awesome.
This morning Seth woke up and came out to the living room to snuggle. He sat on my lap and told me that he had a dream. I asked him what this dream was about.
"I was wearing a costume," he answered.
"Oh?" I asked. "What kind of costume?"
"Batman," he said. I thought this rather amusing since the only thing he has in the house that's Batman is a lunch bag, which I haven't seen for ages.
"Actually, I would like to be Batman when I grow up," he said seriously, which I again found amusing.
We were sitting there snuggling; he attempted to "win my heart". He did not quite succeed.
"Mom," he said. "It would be alright if you made my bed for me this morning," he sweet talked. It didn't work. He made his own bed.
The sweet moments ENDED in the afternoon.
His behaviour really hasn't been getting better, so Dave and I had to make some serious re-evaluation. If he can't sit still and be quiet during church at this age (when he has gone to church since birth FOUR times a week); and if he can't sit still on the bus for 15 minutes when other younger kids can, then we've - or really I'VE - fallen short on some things.
So, he sat on a chair in the living room today for a total of 37 minutes - 7 minutes were added on. He was told he had to sit there - not lay there - not get off, and could not talk. AT ALL. Now, if this seems cruel and unusual to some, I apologize. In my opinion, however, parents are far too lenient these days on their kids' behaviour in public and I am obviously no exception to the rule. He needs to learn to sit for a time EVERY DAY and entertain himself quietly in his mind. As Dave said to me, "If you want to accomplish this in church, you have to accomplish it at home." And I agree.
He sat quiet for 23 minutes. Then he made a monkey noise, so I added on 7 minutes. He got the picture and was angelic after that. He knows this will be a daily occurrence as long as it takes for him to change his behaviour in public. And I discovered something awesome.
It didn't kill him!
He has also started a new, very annoying phase of mimicking by repeating everything you say. He finds it quite humorous. So far it's easy enough to stop when he does it to me because I just go silent (which he CAN'T tolerate) long enough for him to say something to me in desperation, which I in turn REPEAT back to him. He gets the picture.
It's not the same for his sister, however. She hasn't quite learned how to stop him. Tonight we were having a discussion about how much she has been whining lately. She started crying and said, "Mom, I've been trying so hard not to whine," in a whiny voice. Dear, dear Seth, great little brother that he is, repeated back, just as whiny,
"MOM, I'VE BEEN TRYING SO HARD NOT TO WHINE!"
And well, as they say, the rest is history.
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