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Mowat Madness...
$10 Madness...- We bought
two fish for our pond, put them in late Saturday night and went to bed. Sunday morning, no fish...we think a neighborhood animal (cat/raccoon?) ate them...we didn't even get to enjoy them for 1 minute. They were really nice goldfish too...I think we will buy .28 cent feeder fish next time. :) - We bought this pool for
Titus with money he received for his birthday. He wanted to get in and we didn't feel like changing him, so we put him in fully dressed :)
- This swingset was a great deal we got at our church auction...even though the park is just down the road from our house, it is nice being able to just go in our backyard
Weekend Madness...
- Friday I came home from work to the camper packed up and the kids ready to go. A very nice surprise, and nice to get away.
- The kids were SOOOOO fussy yesterday. I told Titus (even though he didn't understand a word I was saying) it was pretty sad that he was crying more
than Damaris, and she was having a fussy day (I don't think she likes it when I eat hotdogs)! Stephen and I both had two stressful services at church, so were not really emotionally up to dealing with this, but of course didn't have a choice :). For our own sanity, Stephen and I got a babysitter for an hour after evening service and went out for Chinese and ran to Wal-Mart. :) - DAMARIS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9 hours...from 9-6. I guess she was exhausted after all that fussiness yesterday - not sure if she will do it again tonight, but I appreciated the extra hours! We have also moved her to size 2 diapers and have pulled out the 3-6 month clothing...I still can't believe how fast she is growing!!
Michelle Madness...
- I ran two miles on Saturday...I haven't walked (let alone run) more than a mile and a half in 6 months...a little sore now...
- The new church board voted to break up our songs during service into two parts - contemporary and traditional. FINALLY!! The craziness: for the contemporary half I have agreed to be the song leader in our church (if another lady turns it down, which I am guessing she will). I am a die hard choir alto NOT a soloist or leader...and already doing WAY more than I should be...but our church is not musical AT ALL so this is our only chance to do contemporary songs. We have already lost couples because of the music, and our church is dying without change. Anyone want to come to our church and help save me?!? (A couple months ago Stephen preached on how God calls us to do a task that we can't do on our own because He wants us to rely on His strength instead of our own...I guess God is really testing me on this one.)
- Anyone have any parenting tips? I told Stephen I didn't know if I could take
Titus' fits anymore. We have tried speaking firmly, we have tried swatting his bottom, we have tried letting him just throw his fit on the floor, we have tried talking rationally to him asking him what the matter is or calmly explaining why he is not allowed to do something...and we feel like we are failing MISERABLY. No matter how hard we try to be consistent, it comes down to the fact that he is just not an obedient child at all, very strong willed, and has to get his way or he throws a fit...which obviously he can't have his way all the time, so it means LOTS of fits. We tell him no and he WILL NOT listen. He is very dramatic on top of it, which doesn't help. Last week he wanted to get down out of the cart while I was in Wal-Mart picking up a prescription, and I told him we needed to wait and that he couldn't get down yet. He sat there and threw the biggest fit, crying and screaming (imagine the worst high-pitch sound you can imagine) at the top of his lungs while everyone in the whole store is witnessing this for like 10 minutes. Nothing worked to calm him down. I really was serious when I mentioned above that he cries more than Damaris. The frustrating part - he mainly does this only for us, other than a few lucky people who have had the joy of dealing with it for a brief period of time. We deal with it all the time, and I think I am going to lose my mind. What are we doing wrong??????
I don't want to end this post on a negative note so, on a positive note, the 22nd Damaris is being dedicated in church while we have LOTS of family in (we could have over 30!)...for Stephen's ORDINATION!!!!!!!! He will now be Revered Stephen Mowat :) We are both very excited, and excited that so many family members are coming to support him since most are from Michigan! If any of you are in the area and want to come, it is at Lakeview Wesleyan at 2:30. I know he would love to have you there!
6 comments:
Michelle, I cannot tell you how many times we feel like failures as parents. The only thing I can say is keep being consistent - it will eventually pay off.
On a more practical level, we have worked hard to find things to motivate behavior change in Elisha. Find what "currency" works for Titus: sticker chart, prizes, money :), whatever. We still have negative consequences, but for some things we use positive reinforcement (like every time he stops throwing a fit when you ask or doesn't throw a fit at all, he could pick a prize).
Disclaimer: This may not work, and I am totally not trying to sound like an expert at all. However, in some cases, this has worked with our strong-willed child. :)
Also, Elisha goes in cycles. I read a book that it's about every 6 months; for us, 3 1/2 was horrible, 4 was great, and now at 4 1/2 he is testing us again. Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure. Call me if you want to exchange horror stories!
Congratulations to Stephen! And Damaris for sleeping through the night!
As for what you are going through with Titus, we are dealing with the same thing. David is constantly throwing fits when he doesn't get his way. He throws himsef on the floor, rolls around and screams. Yesterday he threw a temper tantrum for fifteen minutes straight! It was ridiculous!
I am not sure what to do (we've done the same things that you guys have). David is too young yet to really understand and will not have concept of a time out, which is probably what he needs. Good luck! I hope this passes quickly for you guys.
Ah yet another parent floating along in the same strong-willed boat.
I have done a different version of a time out for Katy before Caleb, aka High Maintenance Boy, made his appearance. I had her sit on my lap with no toys, books, etc until she had calmed down. (Sounds easy, but I was physically restraining her until she realized resistance was futile.) Once she calmed, I gave her some instruction to test her spirit of obedience, like going and getting a book for us to read together. If she could do that without arguing, we read and went back to normal. If not, more seat time. For me, it was teaching her to exercise a little control over her reactions. Now that she is older, I still do that when I can, but I'm having to do more short-lived techniques that aren't working as of yet.
Anyway, my main point is that I have nothing helpful to say except you're not alone!
Michelle,
I am not a parent, but I work with kids and I check in on your website every so often. A good curriculum (it's old, but good) is called 1,2,3 Magic. You can usually check it out at a local library. Also, the recommendation for time outs is 1 minute for their age. It will not be pleasent, but they have to complete the time out with you if needed for their minute. Pick a designated time out chair. Don't do the time out anywhere in the house, designate a chair in a specific place, not a play room, someplace you can watch him. It isn't easy. These are a few tips we use at our agency (it is a child and family preservation agency, and we teach parenting...). Hope it helps some! Good luck, you will be in my thoughts and prayers!
Melissa (Missy) Blackburn
I definetly can relate. I have gone through a lot of struggles with Dennis, sometimes it is because he doesn't understand. It seems like they go through different phases and you just have to wait it out sometimes.
Distraction is really good tactic.
Just hold on and try to enjoy the good and cute things he does.
Love, Teresa
Happy 4th of July. I think our sons are kindred spirits. My husband and I were brave today and took our delightful 18-month-old up to Burton Island on Lake Champlain. This required waking him up at 6:30 A.M. He did not sleep the whole trip up OR back. (2 hours each way) By the time my inlaws arrived on the island this afternoon G was definitely ready to catch the next ferry back. He is also very skilled in the high frequency screaming...no matter what my husband and I do he does not stop. He screams and screams and screams. He thinks it's funny. Ignoring him almost worked the other day...almost being the key word. I'm sorry you're having the same trouble w/ T but I must admit that I breathed a sigh of relief tonight when I read you post. G is almost stronger then me and sometimes I have a hard time keeping him in his 1 minute time-out. We struggle...maybe we'll just stay home until he's 5. Hmm...well, glad D is doing well and enjoy your big family adventure. HUGS for a great rest of the week.
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