Caleb has a bad habit of throwing stuff when he is mad. I have to admit Jonathan and I are just as guilty for doing it. But we do not throw as bad as Caleb and we really have to get mad to throw something. And usually it is 1 thing and not 10 things.
Any way, when Caleb gets upset/mad about something he throws whatever is around him and in his path. As I said another post, No Mom is Perfect, we had to start cracking down on this bad habit of his because one of these days he can end up hurting someone with the throwing.
Last night, Caleb wanted something and we told him no. So the throwing starts. Basically, he cries (sometimes for a little bit sometimes longer), sticks out his lower lip, makes "hmph" sounds, and throws things here and there. It isn't a constant throw. He throws one thing for attention, stops for awhile, throws something else, stops, etc. Jonathan immediately grabbed one thing and said, "Well that is gone. You are not getting that back." By the way, it is usually toys he throws. When Jonathan did that, I got an idea from articles I had read. I got up asked Jonathan for the toy and grabbed two more items Caleb threw and put them out of site and out of reach. Then, I grabbed a storage container we had sitting out and told Caleb, "Next item you throw will end up in here and you will not get it back tonight." He tested me of course. So I picked up those items and put them in the container. He realized I meant business and stopped. I went to sit down and he knocked over his Mickey Mouse chair because he was still mad. My lovely husband (that is true endearment...not being sarcastic) grabbed the chair and put it in the red container too (yes that container was big enough for that chair...LOL). He said, "Your chair is gone too." That hit home with Caleb. He started crying, stopped throwing, and realized we were not giving in.
Now that is what you call team parenting. LOL. Poor kid didn't know what to do but cry after all that. Later that night, he kicked a bag of grapes because I told him to stop doing something. He was testing me on that one. So I smacked his butt. Yes, we believe in smacking. Sometimes, you have to when all else fails. Lets put it this way, that smack didn't make him cry but he stopped and behaved instantly. Again, he knew I meant what I said.
Some may think we are being tough on Caleb. We really aren't because a lot of times he is very well behaved. Because Caleb is not the kid in the middle of the store screaming their head off. He is not the kid using swear words and talking back to everyone especially their parents. He is not the kid that always runs around in public and not listen to their parents. He is not the child who hits or bites the other kids. There are just a couple of habits we need to start breaking now before he gets older and they get worse like throwing things when he is upset.
In the end, being a good parent means having to discipline your child.
Suck It Up Mom moment: When you realize you are starting to use phrases that your mom used on you when you were little. LOL. Love you Mom.
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