Friday, May 2, 2008
Is it just me??
So, now that Keegan has all this mobility, I feel like the meanest person in the world. I am getting onto him for what seems like a million times a day. "No." "No, Sir!" "Do not lick the cat!" I feel like all he gets from me is negative energy. I sit there and feel so terrible, like I'm not being a good mom. I know I am. He's healthy and happy. But I also feel like the Wicked Witch. Anyone else feel this way??
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1 comment:
I do, friend. I do. But you know what's helped me a little bit? I try really hard to look for the GOOD things she does--without me asking her to--and really go out of my way to praise her and make a big deal out of it. I don't know if there's any psychological backing to it, but I feel better if I try to point out more good stuff than bad.
Also, I work hard to creatively communicate "no" to her. I heard somewhere that toddlers hear that word about 400x a day on average, so I work to redirect what she's doing wrong rather than saying no don't do something. Does that make sense?
For instance, if she's getting into a cabinet she's not supposed to, I'll tell her to please close the cabinet door and come here to do such-and-such with me. I just try to rephrase no. :0)
Of course, there are instances where a sharp "no" is in order, like if the children are in imminent danger. But if I use "no" sparingly, it creates a sense of its importance.
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