What are your hot-button discipline issues? I'm a pretty laid-back person and I don't get easily angered or frustrated with my children. But I've noticed 2 things that put me over the edge this week. One is when the girls won't go to bed. Usually this is due to a late afternoon nap and/or exciting evening activities. Today we went shopping all afternoon, so they didn't take naps till around 3. Then we went to an outdoor Mass, dinner, and family dance for our church's fall festival. Ellie finally fell asleep around 10:30 and Mary Clare at about 11:45! I had really lost my cool by about 11:00 with Mary Clare. Then she was frustrated because I was frustrated and her latest means of dealing with frustration is screaming, frantically hitting me, and biting.
Hence #2 of the over-the-edge behaviors: when she starts hitting and biting me. Those just seem like totally unacceptable behaviors that need some serious consequences (which I'm trying to consistently give), but it's happened every day this week. I hope I can keep being consistent and see a decrease in this behavior, because it drives me wild! But she's 3 1/2 and is usually as sweet as can be. And she usually genuinely apologizes afterwards, sometimes tearing up, saying "Mommy, I'm sorry I did all the things you didn't want me to do. I'm just learning how to be obedient." And I give her a big hug and tell her I forgive her. Like a friend reminded me...I'm just learning how to be obedient (to God) too!
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Oh, Blair! I'm so glad to know that ours isn't the only family with "hot button" issues.
For me, it's respect. I realize that my kids are just that...kids. I know that there will be times when they are grumpy, mad, moody...or whatever. They're people, too, and we're all entitled. But what really sets me off is when one of them (usually Dylan, my just-turned-five-year-old) starts screaming, kicking, hitting, covering his ears when I try talking to him, and running to his room and slamming the door...I just can't tolerate that. It's just plain rude. I'm trying so hard to PATIENTLY (which, by the way, is NOT one of my strongest virtues!) explain to him that it's okay to feel mad, sad, upset, etc., but it is NOT okay to act out in anger like that to me or to anyone else.
{{{Sigh}}}
Sometimes I just really wonder where I'm going wrong.
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