Drama Queen

Peyton and Shey each had check-ups yesterday, 3 years and 6 months respectively. Shey came away with an ear infection in both ears (is that a double ear infection, or does double refer to a really bad ear infection in one ear?) and I walked away with a list of things NOT to do to your three year old in an effort to tame his ever increasing wild behavior.

The list is fine, and I understand the reasoning behind it, but it doesn�t offer much help in how to change the behaviors one is trying to avoid. For example, number one is (paraphrased) Ask your child to do a task two or three times in an effort to teach them that what you say is not important enough to do the first time. Okay, this is all well and good, but how does one make their child mind on the first request. The list comes from the book Parent Survival Training, but for some reason B&N couldn�t find it in their data base yesterday, so I picked up 4 Weeks to a Better Behaved Child instead. It seems to have the same type of philosophy and has been easy reading so far.

The book concentrates on 4 C�s Clear, Consistent, Contingent Consequences. She also uses a method dubbed Cool Down, rather than Time Out. I told Larry I would read it, but he has to be willing to discuss it with me and put the plan into action as well. Something has got to give though. Peyton can be a great kid, when he wants to be, but woe to the person who wants him to veer from his chosen path of action. I understand he is supposed to test the limits and exert himself, but we�ve got to set some boundaries before he�s 10 and bigger than the both of us. Apparently. Larry and I grow �em big, as both boys are over 90% in height and weight.

Peyton�s also become a first class drama queen. He whines and moans and complains about everything. I told him last night that he complained and cried so much that I never know when he�s really hurting. Peyton is the little boy who cried wolf. One thing we have been working on is making him do things himself we know he�s capable of, like dressing himself. After a week or so of doing this, he�s finally doing it himself without giving us too much grief. He still grunts and groans, but at least doesn�t ask us to do it.

Raising this boy could quite possibly land me in the insane asylum, or prison.