Wednesday, August 27, 2008

13 months going on 16 years

Remember when you were 16 and you were getting a lecture from your parents. This is how it usually went for me, "look at me when I am talking to you," says mom or dad, "I am looking at you," says me as I conveniently look just above their eyes in order to not make actual eye contact. Must be maddening for a parent. Well Ada has already perfected this move. I have learned that when I spank her leg, she laughs, yes laughs, so I am trying a new tactic. I tell her, "look at mama," which she is fully capable of doing when she is not in trouble, but somehow, when she is in trouble, she can't remember how to look at mama. Just now, she was trying to touch the fan in her room, which is an obvious no-no. I squatted down, put my hands on both of her arms, and said firmly, "look at mama." She proceeded to literally bend at the waist, with her head straight down at the floor just so she wouldn't have to look at me. The moment of discipline was ruined when I burst out laughing. She then looked straight at me and also laughed. Oh dear. Discipline won't work if I start laughing!! By the way, if she ever does actually look at me when I am disciplining her, she bursts into tears and seems to actually understand the no. I am not giving up spanking her leg, but I am finding the eye contact approach a little more effective.

3 comments:

McCrory Family said...

We tried to give Claire a little pop on her hand when she did something dangerous but it only added fuel to the fire! Now we actually use time outs! We say, "go to time out" and she will walk over and sit in the corner and cry until we tell her to come to us. We then hug her and love on her, ask her to obey, then let her play. It is funny how our ideas of disciple change once we actually have a child!

Milla said...

Ah hahaha... I can just picture that! How funny. I sometimes laugh right out loud when I tell Turk (in a very stern motherly voice) to do something, and he instead looks right into my eyes and make this howling-sad noise back at me. Every time he does it, I think, laughing won't help the matter!!

Jessica said...

I burst out laughing too this week when Hannah did something funny while I was trying to discipline her...she just laughed too! What a job huh?