At first glance, I thought "This parent is witty. I like him/her." Next, I wondered if Nick and I would ever be angry enough at Addy or Asher to post a note like that on our front door. I don't know. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable if either of our children were to sleep on the front porch... for any reason. Despite our seemingly safe neighborhood, that seems a little risky. Plus, I would be guaranteed zero sleep if I knew one of them was outside all night, which would prove punishing for both parties involved and clearly not appropriate. And finally, my thoughts turned to Addy. If I had to choose one of our children who this note may someday be associated with, it would be Addy.
Since she turned three, and especially over the past two months, Addy has been quite a handful. Forget the terrible twos, we're living the terrible threes! She is testing the limits in every respect, and she is very, very stubborn. In many ways, I appreciate a girl with a backbone- one who will stand up for herself in the face of adversity and won't let societal or peer pressures get to her. But, when it comes to standing up to her parents, I am not a fan of it. I hate to talk about her behind her back, but I am seeing a lot of Addy's back these days as she has been a frequent flier to time out as of late.
The most frustrating aspect of this specific parenting dilemma is the fact that we haven't figured out, yet, the best method to quell this rebellious behavior or teach her to otherwise knock it off. Nick and I have tried quite a variety of approaches, some more effective than others. I think we finally might be making a bit of an impact, but it's hard to tell. According to Nani, I never behaved this way (and still don't), so where is this behavior coming from?
At this moment in time, I can't imagine ever having to post a note on our front door like the one above. I pray that we will avoid those circumstances all together, and that Addy is getting her defiance out of her system at age three and she will not continue to behave this way for the next fifteen years.
When Addy is not testing the limits with Mama and Dada, my sweet baby girl is still what makes my world turn. Nothing will ever change that. I vow that I will remain strong in my pursuit of effective discipline, so that we can nip this behavior in the bud. We know that consistency is key, so we've got to keep our united front against the formidable three year old opposition. While she is stubborn, I hope that our perseverance and my competitive spirit will "win" her over and she'll soon be back to the sweet Addy-boo we all know and love.
This blog entry was all about Addy, but we'd be remiss if we forgot to mention Asher. He had a great week, concluding with a weekend filled with three birthday parties and a dinner out. He also enjoyed a visit to the trampoline park with Mama and Addy during the week, swimming lessons, and preschool. While Asher is difficult for other reasons, he has yet to exemplify any sort of sassiness or an attitude similar to the one his sister is exhibiting.
No comments:
Post a Comment