...who doesn't want his picture on the Internet.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 08, 2008
Time Out
Eilish has little patience. She comes by it honestly and neither do Owen and I. If something doesn't go her way, let's say a puzzle or something chances are she's going to throw that sucker and yell while doing it. Saturday night we were in the basement and she was playing with a toy car that Owen has (side note: why does Owen have a toy car? He is not a car guy.) and when she couldn't get the hood up, she tossed it across the room.
As all my parenting tips come from TV, I employed a Super Nanny tactic of putting Eilish is 'time out'. I sat her on the arm chair, told her that she shouldn't throw things, how Mommy and Daddy don't throw things (we just curse under our breath) and that she had to sit in the chair for a few minutes until she calmed down. I told her, 'don't move' and perhaps, perhaps pointed my finger while I said it. As I was explaining all this to her, she looked me in the eyes, pointed her finger and said, 'don't move'. I turned away from her to laugh my ass off and reboot the computer and when I turned back to see how the time out was going she pointed her finger at me and said, 'don't move'. That chair has now been christened the 'don't move' chair and everytime she sits in it she points her finger and says 'don't move'.
Here is an outtake from the great Christmas card photo shoot of 2008. This is pretty much how she looks at me when I try to explain the concept of time out.
As all my parenting tips come from TV, I employed a Super Nanny tactic of putting Eilish is 'time out'. I sat her on the arm chair, told her that she shouldn't throw things, how Mommy and Daddy don't throw things (we just curse under our breath) and that she had to sit in the chair for a few minutes until she calmed down. I told her, 'don't move' and perhaps, perhaps pointed my finger while I said it. As I was explaining all this to her, she looked me in the eyes, pointed her finger and said, 'don't move'. I turned away from her to laugh my ass off and reboot the computer and when I turned back to see how the time out was going she pointed her finger at me and said, 'don't move'. That chair has now been christened the 'don't move' chair and everytime she sits in it she points her finger and says 'don't move'.
I don't know if the time out worked. The TV was on so basically she was sitting in her chair watching Toopy & Binoo but she didn't throw anything else….that night. Sunday was a different story.
Here is an outtake from the great Christmas card photo shoot of 2008. This is pretty much how she looks at me when I try to explain the concept of time out.
Friday, December 05, 2008
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Monday, December 01, 2008
Saucy is as Saucy does
What does 'saucy' mean to you? This weekend I said (and this is a direct quote), 'there is nothing worse than a saucy kid'. I realized today that I have no idea what that means. Is saucy the same as bratty? Some may say that I am saucy and I would have to agree but I don't think I am bratty. I've come to take saucy as a compliment which may mean I've confused saucy confused with sassy.
I think Eilish is saucy and that it wasn't a learned behavior, that she was born like that - it's hereditary. Case in point:
She woke up from her nap at Mom's house sweaty and unhappy wanting to be held by me of all people (usually she doesn't want much to do with me at Mom's house since she has Judes, Donnie K. and Joel at her beck and call willing to keep her hopped up on cake and chocolate milk - but I digress). So I was holding her in my arms, patting her bum and Mom sat on the side of the couch to talk to her and rub her head. She pushed Judes away and said no. Every time Mom sat down she tried to push her off the couch. Mom had just worked all day and was just looking for some lovin' but E wasn't having any of it.
This isn't the first time she's resorted to violence. There has been a Michael pushing episode, her unwillingness to share crayons and there may have been a crayon thrown last week but I'm denial about it.
Owen's reaction to any sauciness is to have a sit down chat with Eilish, explaining in a calm and rational fashion what she did wrong and why she shouldn't do it. My reaction goes a little something like this: 'Dude, have you LOST YOUR MIND?! You don't do that! Mama doesn't do that to you! You've gone right off your head! '
Another example of her sauciness is her reaction to a kiss request. Eilish doesn't give kisses without being asked for one (unless you are her mild mannered Dad) and even if you ask for one nicely 9/10 times you're not getting one. I've asked her for a kiss only for her to say no and then turn around and kiss an inanimate object such as the couch or her coloring book. And she knows what she's doing because she'll look right at me as if to say, 'watta ya think of this Mama?'. Again, that is not learned behavior, I have to my knowledge never kissed a couch!
Eilish: 50% Connell, 50% saucy.
I think Eilish is saucy and that it wasn't a learned behavior, that she was born like that - it's hereditary. Case in point:
She woke up from her nap at Mom's house sweaty and unhappy wanting to be held by me of all people (usually she doesn't want much to do with me at Mom's house since she has Judes, Donnie K. and Joel at her beck and call willing to keep her hopped up on cake and chocolate milk - but I digress). So I was holding her in my arms, patting her bum and Mom sat on the side of the couch to talk to her and rub her head. She pushed Judes away and said no. Every time Mom sat down she tried to push her off the couch. Mom had just worked all day and was just looking for some lovin' but E wasn't having any of it.
This isn't the first time she's resorted to violence. There has been a Michael pushing episode, her unwillingness to share crayons and there may have been a crayon thrown last week but I'm denial about it.
Owen's reaction to any sauciness is to have a sit down chat with Eilish, explaining in a calm and rational fashion what she did wrong and why she shouldn't do it. My reaction goes a little something like this: 'Dude, have you LOST YOUR MIND?! You don't do that! Mama doesn't do that to you! You've gone right off your head! '
Another example of her sauciness is her reaction to a kiss request. Eilish doesn't give kisses without being asked for one (unless you are her mild mannered Dad) and even if you ask for one nicely 9/10 times you're not getting one. I've asked her for a kiss only for her to say no and then turn around and kiss an inanimate object such as the couch or her coloring book. And she knows what she's doing because she'll look right at me as if to say, 'watta ya think of this Mama?'. Again, that is not learned behavior, I have to my knowledge never kissed a couch!
Eilish: 50% Connell, 50% saucy.
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