Well, elusive smiles. The problem is when I don’t have a camera pointed at her, she smiles. Like after I change her diapers and she gives me an incredible smile. Or I say something she thinks is funny. Or I catch her doing what she’s not supposed to be doing and she gives me another one of those elusive smiles. I caught her, what else can she do…but smile.
It’s amazing to see the thought process. She’s walking along the cabinets that house books and movies, the DVD, internet box, and she’s turned it off before. So she’s old enough now for me to really give her some boundaries. Box is mine, don’t touch.
All I have to say is eh-eh. I do it with the dogs when I don’t want them getting into something they shouldn’t. And she knows that sound for them, but if I use it, she always looks to see if I’m saying it to her. So she knows what it means.
The key to training is to watch her all the time. She’s only one, she has to be watched…all the time. So she’s holding onto the cabinet, looking up at the TV, watching Little Baby Bum Nursery Rhymes and then she sees the Box. And heads for it. But just as she reaches out to touch it, she suddenly turns her head to see if I’m watching.
I am. She smiles. I smile. And I tell her good girl, because she hasn’t touched the box and she moves away from it and does other things. But later, she’s standing at the cabinet, and doing the same drill. Sees the box, moves towards it, reaches out for it, jerks her head around at the last minute to see if I’m watching, and I am. Same smile.
So we do this four or five times and she doesn’t do it again. Will she today while I’m babysitting her and her parents are seeing a movie? Probably. I can’t move the box out of her reach, so it’s got to be a No-Zone. My parents didn’t child-proof their home, and we lived to tell the tale. Children need to know what’s theirs and what’s not. What they can do, and what they can’t. It’s a part of growing up. And we’ll keep doing it until she’s old enough that I can explain why she can’t touch the box. Touch box, no Little Baby Bum Nursery Rhymes. lol
Okay, so I did manage to kill a witch in Divinity…she was evil, on fire, and destroyed me in one round before. It’s like having PTSD, I feared getting near her again. But I finally chanced it and took her out. It’s always a great feeling–conquering your fears. lol
We had tremendous storms in the middle of the night. My first thought was: I hope the first eensy-weensy monarch caterpillar I saw of the season survived the night. It cooled down, which is a welcome relief, and it’s still lightly raining, which is delightful. I couldn’t find the baby caterpillar, and from the holes on another milkweed plant, I think there might be a couple. I will look a little later. These are pictures of some from last year. Okay, I’ve got to get back to edits. Baby normally doesn’t come on Saturdays, so I’ve got to jump on the book before she’s here again.
Have a delightful weekend!
Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website: http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears: http://www.celticbears.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/u63qP
Follow Me for new releases and book deals: www.bookbub.com/authors/terry-spear
I am fairly sure my Mom did not arrange her “stuff” to protect it from me either. I cannot remember those times but certainly remember some comments she made in later years about certain parents that had not taken time to teach their children before bringing them to our house to visit.
Exactly! And when I visited my parents with my toddlers, they didn’t childproof the house. They didn’t need to either. 🙂 Kids need to learn boundaries and what’s theirs and not theirs. It’s just part of growing up. My mother had chairs we weren’t allowed to sit in. And when I brought a boyfriend home, he sat in the chair. I exclaimed, “You can’t sit on that chair!”
My mom was embarrassed and said he could. lol But you know, it’s ingrained. lol I still have those chairs, with covers on them, and the dogs use them. Horrors. But they’re covered and the chairs are very old and no human ever sits on them. lol
i applaud you teaching boundaries while she is young. I have never undetstood why the cincept is so difficult for so many parents of young kids to grasp. I could take my kids or grands any where i went and know it would be ok
Sent from my iPhone
>
Exactly, nothing annoys me more than when a parent tells a child over and over again not to do something in a grocery store, and Johnny knows there are no consequences. So he keeps doing what he shouldn’t.
My kids were fighting with each other when we were at the grocery store one time when they were younger. I told them to stop fighting or we’d go home. They wouldn’t.
I took them straight out to the car and both were promising not to fight at that point, shocked that I would take them home and not shop for groceries, but it was too late. I had told them the consequences and we drove home. If the parent gives an ultimatum, they need to stick with them. We lived out in the country. It was a while before we went back, but never, ever did they do that again.
It was an easy fix. No yelling, no repeating what I would do, no spanking.
The problem is that some parents don’t want to give up what they’re doing to show the kids there are consequences. Like at the grocery store, or eating out.
At the library where I worked, parents would get on the computers and play games, and let their kids run roughshod all over the library. The kids wouldn’t sit and read. They’d play chase between the bookshelves, and nearly knock over our older patrons. They were unruly, and should have been playing at a park or playground. Parents didn’t care. They figured the “library” could babysit them.
I’m glad you were successful too!!!
Hi Terry Princess Fairy smiles slowly coming …♥
Your friend Linda wrote…I have never understood why the concept is so difficult for so many parents of young kids to grasp. If I may say…. “could it BE they *themselves were NEVER TAUGHT about Boundaries? if they never learn How are they going to Teach and enforce the rules and the consequences…
No problem with my kids… neither my husband or I will allow disobedience or tantrums . Which never was a problem as they are 8 years apart… My daughter is following her experience if the boys do something they no better they should no do “Time out” comes or some of the stuff they like to do will be put away or they themselves have to put their stuff away and only get it back at a specific time.They are close to 3 years apart almost 6 and almost 3.
That’s good! 🙂 <3