motherly advice

My youngest is driving me nuts.  If I say left, he says right.  Black is white and up is down.  You get the point - he is testing his boundaries.

My friend told me that when she was a nanny, the parents of the little girl she watched told her that they didn’t want her spirit broken.  Personally I’m all for breaking spirits - they need to know who is the boss.  Parents are too busy trying to be friends with their kids and having conversations about their wrong choices.  Pleeeeese - sometimes no is no and it is “because I said so”.

This week has been especially trying with Luke.  He had a field trip to go rake and jump in leaves which he refused to participate in.  He stood off to the side, with his little arms crossed and pout on his lips.  The other parents were amused, I was embarrassed and the teacher was perplexed -”I’ve never seen Luke act like this before”.  Lucky me - he saves all his obstinacy for me! (actually,  I’m glad he is good in school.)

I was complaining to my mom about this.  I was dreading Halloween because he was already telling me he was not going to wear his costume.  My mom suggested that I tell him that if he doesn’t wear his costume, then he doesn’t get to do the fun stuff, and then walk away.

This advice kind of irritated me.   All I wanted to do was bitch, but I got advice.  Does she think I don’t know what I’m doing.  Does she think I’m a pushover?  Does she think Luke’s a brat?

After a day of stewing about it, I got a chance to apply her advice.

The day of Halloween we had a zillion places and parties to go to.  Luke really wanted to go to all of them but was refusing to wear a costume.  So I said, “No costume, no parties or trick or treating.”

This of course sent him into a frenzy - but once he realized I meant business, he grudgingly donned his costume and off we went.

Mom’s advice worked!!!

I hate it when she is right.

I don’t know where Luke got his stubborness.

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