Yes, some of you may think the title is a bit negative, but I am a realist (or try to be). Anyone who has spent extended time with Joey knows of his challenges. Not to say that my child is not kind-hearted, thoughful, loving, affectionate, joyful, and warm. He is all of the wonderful things, too. Joey has never been a boring child, nor a laid-back child. I find him intriguing and, honestly, entertaining. But, I also find him challenging, more than the typical child. A friend who experiences some of these "behaviors" said, "I may be delusional, but I think all four-year-olds have these behaviors - their moms just do not share it." I responded with, "Sorry, I think you are delusional." I won't go into the more extreme behaviors (because they are so infrequent). But, I am tired of others telling me that he's just a boy.
A cute story of an everyday statement Joey may say was just the other night. I told him it was time to go to bed (after the "15 minutes until bedtime. . . 10 minutes then it's time to go to sleep. . . .5 minutes blah, blah, blah). When the time came, "OK, it's time to go to bed," Joey responded, "No, Mommy. I'm going to give you two choices. One, I can watch TV, or Two, I can play on the computer. Those are your two choices. Which one do you want?" Yes, this is my everyday life. Full of surprises. No doubt, I love the challenge, but it is tiring. I have read about many strategies in books/magazines that work well for a little while, but then he finds a way to use them on me. I use the strategies used by the teachers at my job. I have even watched videos and taken a parenting class. I am currently reading a book with some new strategies that I think will be successful - it focuses on emotional intelligence. I will keep you updates at my trials/successes.
I know these strong-willed, good-negotiater, high drive qualities my little one possesses will make him successful in the world. However, I am the one who feels responsible for channeling them in the right direction.
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