A short play entitled - Life at 6 pm. Everyday.
<Open Curtain>
"Please come to the dinner table - dinner's ready"
... Daughter... clearly heard me - isn't acknowledging it at all...
Siena! Come to the dinner table.
... Not even a glance in my direction... continues playing.... Honestly - it's impressive that she can pull this off all the time...
Siena! Dinner's ready!!!! (muttering under breath now like a crazy person... "I know she can hear me... but does she answer? Nooooooo.... we need to stack stuffed toys on top of our sister now apparently.... mutter mutter....)
and.... <scene>
So - this is a regular trope around my house - especially the crazy person part. I'm going to give you my current method of breaking this cycle - which came from a different point - made in a different context.
"Children have a desire to control their world - so you will find yourself at wits end while they demand to put their shoes on themselves.... " or something like that. I can't remember exactly. Doesn't matter anyway.
The point is: who cares who puts on the shoes? No one is handing out trophies or prize money! Do you have time in your day to let her try to put her shoes on the wrong feet? Yep. Loads of time actually. How about mix and match? Sure! Is there anything that really demands a quick exit (house burning down?) Nope! So.... Enjoy the moment - don't fight it!
Let me tell you how many years I got back on my lifespan by joining the shoe spectacle instead of fighting it. Now - we get to the bottom of the stairs - I want my rain boots! Perfect - it's 90 degrees out today and sunny. That's a great choice. Maybe we'll just take your sandals too - ok?
So - I told you that story to bridge into the dinner routine and my new favorite (strikingly independent headstrong (where did she get that trait, I wonder... looking at her mother....)) toddler hack:
Dinner time! (Silence)
Do you want a timer? YES!
Ok Google - set timer for 1 min (or 5 mins or 15 seconds -- you get the idea).
And like that - magically - dinner and timing is HER choice. She's in charge. The illusion of control. Magical. And for you - well you are now free.
Ahhhhhhh. Free time. You can fill that minute dragging a squiggly child across the room who's screaming for more play time. Or you can take a moment, enjoy the scene, get a glass of wine... and wait the remaining 42 seconds for the timer to go off and she'll happily run across the room, shout "Hey Googoogolol STOP!" before furiously poking the screen 30 times in 2 seconds.
Last time I checked - Google timers were free (still are). I like to think of it as Google timers are CareFree and filled with 60 seconds of inner peace and happiness. Because they are.
Then she gets up in her seat and proceeds with dinner - without fighting or squiggling. It was her choice, remember? She's in charge. <snicker>
Time heals everything. But Time is also proactive to removing the need to heal anything. Leverage the Googoogolol for Good. In time, you'll thank me. <poke poke poke poke poke poke poke>
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