Two days ago Zoe reached up and pulled off my favorite necklace and broke it. Andrew told me this morning that we couldn't play cards because Zoe was with us (she's been going straight for the pile and messing it up!). Yesterday she turned 7 months old. Two days ago she began to cry at dinner when I wouldn't let her suck on a wet paper towel used to wipe off her face. All of these things convinced me that it was time for her first "No" Boot Camp. We just had our first training session:
A pile of the (forbidden!) cards was near some other (allowed) toys. I let her play. She noticed the cards (as I knew that she would). And she immediately began to reach out for them. I squeezed her hand and, calmly, said "no" in a regular tone of voice. We repeated this no less than 30 times. She finally paused and looked for another toy. We played a few minutes together. Then she went back for the cards. I gave her the same squeeze and "no." She burst into tears! Cried and cried for a couple minutes. We repeated this about 6-7 times again. She finally was crying hard enough that I picked her up and comforted her.
I don't care if you're 7 months or 7 years old: we can't play with anything we want to play with just because it's nearby. And we don't get what we want by crying. These truths hold up for a 33 year old mom as well. I think my kids need taught obediance and self-control even at a young age. Our ability to restrain our own (natural) self-centeredness could very well dictate the course of many decisions we make in our lives. And you might think this is too soon or over the top, but I believe it starts NOW.
This matter is not closed. We'll be having training session #2 later. I'll post results.
Pursuing Dreams
6 months ago
4 comments:
Excellent. Love it. Agree on the timing - for Kate it was about 5 months when the first active willfulness was displayed. If she doesn't learn on cards, how will she know what to do with the stove - that's my opinion. It's hard to smack the hand of a infant, but I'd rather smack it than have it burned. Good luck with the training - it's hard work but you've got to do it.
Sorry - somehow I posted the same thing twice. And now for my 3rd post, an apology for my ineptitude. :)
Oh the training. I can't believe what they can pick up so early. It is amazing, and definitely makes life easier in the long run.
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