When I Say…

I need to be better at something with my children.   For the most part when I say something I mean what I say.   They know when I tell them it’s time for bath they have to go in the direction of the bathroom, get their clothes off and get into the tub…but they dawdle.   Recently my son asked me what ‘dawdle’ meant.   He loves to dawdle.

Another example would be if I tell them they can have two M&Ms I mean two, although sometimes I get talked into more if they give me a reason they should get (and they always have reasons).   When I say its time to get their shoes on and go to the car, I mean it…only I have to say it more than once.

I heard my daughter’s play therapist say, “no, when I said one more thing, I meant one more thing.”   My daughter didn’t argue, she just accepted Dhruti’s statement.    I’ve been flexible too many times and as a result I’ve opened a door for negotiations in situations there should be no negotiations.  

This is something I need to work on.   Consistency as a parent is always a good thing—for both the parent and the child.

The Big Boy Update:  My son helps my daughter with directional information.   I’ve seen him tell her things like, “I’m straight ahead of you” when she’s trying to find him.   Even at five-years-old, he’s beginning to be a good helper to her when her vision isn’t able to give the information she needs.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  It was International Peace Day celebration at school today.  My husband and I joined all the children on the playground to share in lunch and spend time together.   After lunch was over my husband noticed my daughter watching a tetherball game from about fifteen feet away.   He came up and asked her if she could see the ball spinning around the pole (he had seen her visually tracking it).   She said, “yes, my eyes are getting better, remember?”   Are they getting better or was it the high contrast ball and the movement that she was following?  Is she able to see more or is she telling us what she knows we want to hear?  It’s very hard to tell but we remain hopeful.