Priorities
*A much-needed post by Dad
Sometimes you just need to know which buttons to push ...
Some nights, Myles has been taking quite some time to get to bed. A major factor in this is the fact that he's taller, and thus can reach the light switch in his room, so he does, because he can ... and isn't that why anybody does anything?
Cindy came up with a tactic in which she would turn off his light, then leave the door open, thus taking away the element of stealth for him. He knows (or at least thinks) we're watching, so he won't turn his light on.
One stipulation is that he must stay in bed. If he gets out, he loses a stuffed toy or a book.
On a recent night, he had been very wound up and was repeatedly getting out of bed. I targeted certain items for removal. I would tell him which one he would lose, and then give him to the count of 5 to get into his bed before taking the item away.
First, it was his "Brown Bear." 1-2-3-4-5, not in bed.
Me: "OK, Myles, say goodbye to Brown Bear."
Myles (standing in the middle of the room, with no intention of going into his bed): "Goodbye, Brown Bear!" (with no further protest)
He ended up going into his bed, but it was short-lived. We heard him rumbling out again.
Next item, the Pigeon. Once again, not in bed by the count of 5.
Me: "OK, Myles, say goodbye to Pigeon."
Myles: "Goodbye, Pigeon!"
At this point, it was obvious that the thrill of staying up late far outweighed the anger over loss of toys. So I had to pull the trump card.
Me: "Myles, this time, if you're not in bed by the count of 5, I'm taking away the Calvin and Hobbes book."
He was running toward his bed before I could finish the sentence.
I couldn't have been prouder.
Sometimes you just need to know which buttons to push ...
Some nights, Myles has been taking quite some time to get to bed. A major factor in this is the fact that he's taller, and thus can reach the light switch in his room, so he does, because he can ... and isn't that why anybody does anything?
Cindy came up with a tactic in which she would turn off his light, then leave the door open, thus taking away the element of stealth for him. He knows (or at least thinks) we're watching, so he won't turn his light on.
One stipulation is that he must stay in bed. If he gets out, he loses a stuffed toy or a book.
On a recent night, he had been very wound up and was repeatedly getting out of bed. I targeted certain items for removal. I would tell him which one he would lose, and then give him to the count of 5 to get into his bed before taking the item away.
First, it was his "Brown Bear." 1-2-3-4-5, not in bed.
Me: "OK, Myles, say goodbye to Brown Bear."
Myles (standing in the middle of the room, with no intention of going into his bed): "Goodbye, Brown Bear!" (with no further protest)
He ended up going into his bed, but it was short-lived. We heard him rumbling out again.
Next item, the Pigeon. Once again, not in bed by the count of 5.
Me: "OK, Myles, say goodbye to Pigeon."
Myles: "Goodbye, Pigeon!"
At this point, it was obvious that the thrill of staying up late far outweighed the anger over loss of toys. So I had to pull the trump card.
Me: "Myles, this time, if you're not in bed by the count of 5, I'm taking away the Calvin and Hobbes book."
He was running toward his bed before I could finish the sentence.
I couldn't have been prouder.
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