I am gettin’ down right honest here people and asking… Can anyone tell me why my 4-year-old is completely “off the hook” these days? I mean I love him to bits but he is a challenge right now, to say the least.
He’s been SO bad the last few days that I even considered nixing the whole birthday party thing. I mean BAD, and I don’t mean in the mid 80’s Michael Jackson kind of way, I mean BAAAAAD, as in NOT. GOOD. AT. ALL.
He fights me on everything these days and his only retorts are “NO!” or “I don’t want to.” I think I even heard “Nada” out of his mouth the other day. Great. Now he’s learning the word in other languages. That’s just Wonderul!
If I tell him we aren’t doing something that he wants to do or that he can’t have something that he wants, it’s practically World War Three. I mean really people, is this what I have to live with? He’s like a little monster. And he is SO strong-willed. Where did he get this from??
The part that kills me is that he can be such a sweet little boy and once the fit and fighting are over he wants to love on me and sings out choruses of “I love you,” over and over. I guess that’s just the way they get you. They suck you in with their sweetness and then bam! “here I go again when I don’t get my way!” I just feel like I can’t win or do much right with him these days. Please someone out there tell me you have days like this too!?
I love him but I don’t much like him right now, you know? And I SO want to go back to loving AND liking him.
I found something on the internet about using a ticket system to reinforce his good behavior where he would get a ticket everytime he does what he is supposed to and acts as he should. At the end of the day or week, however many tickets he has, he gets a prize or a treat of some sort. Has anyone else tried this? I am just at witt’s end, so to speak and would like more peace in our home. If you have any tips or have used a system like this please let me know. I am willing to try anything… well almost! ; )
Oh and prayer is always good too!
A couple of pictures of us that seem to embody the two “faces” of our relationship right now… ; ) Like I said, the cuteness always gets ya!