Who is the one that is insane?
I think it was Einstein who defined insanity as repeating an act, expecting to get different results. That makes sense to me. I have mentioned on a number of occasions that my son is a little, let's just say special. His behavior makes me chuckle, scream, cry and rejoice every day. And that's just before I make him breakfast. All day every day is an adventure with this crazy little boy. As I mentioned here, I think that he is from another planet at times.
My son is so amazing, let me just make that clear right now. For a while my wife and I were starting to get worried about his lack of speech. Well now, he's really starting to get it. Over just the last couple of days he has started saying things like never before. Sure, you still have to know him to know just what it is that he is saying, but it's an improvement. His communication level is WAY better than what it was. The real problem is the fact that I think he is just not interested in hearing what I have to say. I take that back. He hears what I have to say. He chooses not to LISTEN to it. There are a number of events that happen every day in our house that leads to the same consequences for my son. EVERY SINGLE DAY!
Every day he climbs up to our computer desk at some point in the day and pushes buttons at a random and crazy sequence. I don't just mean the keyboard either. Sometimes it's on the monitor, or the tower, or the power cord. Generally something that he's not supposed to touch. He knows that he's not supposed to do this, yet he does. EVERY DAY.
Every day he climbs up on an end table and reaches up and messes with our DVD player that is on top of our entertainment center. He has broke the cover to the tray that holds the DVDs while they are playing. He has stopped movies mid-play. He can reach the cable box from this spot as well. He has turned it off during the middle of games that I am watching. That can not be tolerated! He knows he's not supposed to touch this stuff. He does it anyway. EVERY DAY.
Every day I punish him for the mentioned acts. I usually will swat his hands, or pop his behind. I speak in a louder than usual voice, and put him in his timeout spot for a bit. This usually stops him from doing it again. Kind of. Not really though. He'll be back for more later. The next thing he messes with is the electrical cord to a light. He knows he's not supposed to touch it. He does it anyway. EVERY DAY! I punish him. He cries. He does it again.
He does the same things every day, and gets punished the same way every day. He has to be insane right? How can a kid keep doing the same things that get him punished every day and not realize that he's not doing anything that is going to give him different results? I just don't get it!
Then it hit me!
So I'm thinking about this problem today and the thought struck me that I keep punishing him for these things and it's not getting different results in the least bit. So really, who's more insane? Him or me?
I'll let you be the judge of that!
Hi from Twomenacatnadme, Thanks for stopping by the other day.
ReplyDeleteI so know what you mean with regards to little monkey's (I mean the darling angels that are our children of course). Youngling still isn talking properly and try as I might he just isnt getting it. But who sounds worse, him with his mublings or me talking like a parrot repeating myself 100x over?
Take care and keep in touch Kate xx
Discipline sucks. I can't spank. If I do I wind up feeling so incredibly guilty it kills me.
ReplyDeleteNew reader man, parenting will make anybody insane. I'm pretty certain that it's insurable now as part of Obama Care.
ReplyDeleteI have a 6 year old, who sounds about like yours, when he was 2ish. I just relied on the rule of 50, tell somebody something 50 times and they usually get it....I however, can't vouch for that, my little guy still gets into things that he knows he shouldn't.
Fortunately for me, corporale punishment is few and far between, I inherited a stare of death from my dad and I will brandish it with a fervor. That usually does the trick most times.
Thanks ChopperPapa. I really appreciate the read. I just want to set the record straight because Papa K made a comment as well about this. I do not "spank" my little boy. I mentioned that I swat his hands and his behind, but it's not anything that would ever even hurt him physically. Hurts his feelings more than anything else. I hate doing even that, and I'm not going to anymore, it doesn't work. I just want to make sure people know I don't "spank" my kids as it seems like it may have come across. Your rule of 50 is a good one, except that 50 times has passed by many times over here! Thanks again.
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