If This Doesn't Work, It's Off to Boot Camp!

Coleman has been being extremely two lately. Yes, I know he's two, but he's been REALLY two for the past few weeks. You know what I mean. He's been saying no to us, pushing every limit, refusing to do things he used to do, basically just being a toot. I say that with love, for I love him dearly, tootiness and all! I've been reading Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel (Blair on The Facts of Life). Every time I pick up the book I break into song, "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life." Get out of my head crazy 80's sitcom theme song! Aside from that annoying fact, the book is great! Most of it is geared toward kids a little older than Coleman, but she has some great toddler ideas too.

Yesterday we started a sticker chart in the car. Yes, IN the car. It is taped to the back of the passenger headrest, right in front of Coleman's face. Every time he gets in the car and hops up in his seat without making a beeline for MY seat and grabbing my sunglasses and opening and closing the garage door 17 times, he gets a sticker. When his chart is filled up, we go get ice cream. This is working for the time being. Our last 4 car-loadings have been stress free! I'll spring for Haagen Dazs for that! He's told me what kind of ice cream he wants: ice cream with chocolate candy and it's blue. We should have a time finding that!

I'm also starting a responsibility chart soon. It's a magnetic board that I got at Target. We're just starting with a few responsibilities: be nice, share, put away toys, and brush teeth. Those are some of the things that he gets into trouble for not doing. When he's caught doing one of those things, he'll get to add a "dot" on the chart. I haven't worked out all the details, but I'm sure good things will happen if he has lots of dots, not so good things will happen if he doesn't have dots.

The third thing I'm doing is praying. You know, that should be the first thing! I'm praying that Coleman will obey and that I won't go crazy, but I'm also praying that I will be the parent God wants me to be. That I will discipline correctly. That I will obey. That I will show love more. I know before long it will be hard for me to remember why I thought the terrible twos were so terrible. I may think it was all pretty trivial. Thank God that He doesn't view any of our situations as trivial! And thank you for listening to all my ramblings! That's all for now. I'll let you know how it all works.