Isabella has discovered a word that she likes a bit too much at the moment - MINE! Talk about frustrating! I thought it was the cute at first, because it showed me that she understood the concept of ownership, but now she has taken it a whole other level. Now EVERYTHING is hers - and that extends to all things from her brother's food (see the picture above) to my shoes! So, I tried some corrective approaches:
Example #1: Isa decided that my sunglasses (she has her own) belonged to her. So, I took her hand gently in mid-grab for the desired object and said, "No, this belongs to Mami," thinking foolishly, perhaps, that we would have this magical moment of shared understanding (yeah, I read too much) and that she would hand it back. Result: the word "no" has now become another overused part of her vocabulary.
Example #2: Isa is fascinated with Amir's guitar, so he will often let her sit in the room with him when he practices. She decided that meant she could slip into his room when he wasn't home and drag it away along with his guitar case. I intervene - cue tirade of "mine, mine, mine!" followed by a Riverdance-esque tantrum in his room. This time, I try stating "this is Amir's guitar" and remove her from his room. Result: an encore of Riverdance in the hallway.
Example #3: Isa sees Johnny with a lollipop. No problem there at first - she has one too. But for some reason, she decides that his is more desirable than her own. Nevermind that the lollipops in question are exactly the same. I'll let you figure out what happened from there. Result: an early bath, and liberal use of hair detangler to remove the lollipop.
I admit, part of this post is so I can vent in peace without flipping out. Now, keep in mind that I am far from a wuss (did I even spell that correctly?) I am a fairly strict disciplinarian type by nature - when it comes to the roles of good cop, bad cop, I tend to fall in the latter category. But for some reason, I find myself at a loss with my munchkin...she is usually such a good girl and my natural instinct when I see misbehavior is to nip it in the bud. Plus, because the boys are older, it usually just takes a look or reprimand to put them in check if necessary. So, this has been an interesting couple of weeks, to say the least!
Anyone want to referee? LOL...I love your inputs so feel free to leave this frazzled Mami some advice, if you've got it!
3 comments:
Oh, dear...don't you wonder sometimes how they learned Riverdance without really ever watching it? (That made me crack up so hard that Danae was asking me what I kept laughing at.) :)
I wish I had some fantastic advice for you, but all I can say is keep it up...keep correcting and telling her that the object is someone else's, and she'll get the hint that other people own things, too! It's a stage, but this too will pass!
Oh, and I'd LOVE to come to Hawaii to help referee, but I guess that can't happen right now. :)
oh boy can i sympathize. kaeli is a whirlwind of enjoyment and frsutration. her vocabularly is so clear and intact for her age, that i sometimes wonder who i am talking to. she retorts back with, "go away", "i won't do it", "no, no, no"...crying, screaming, etc. but then other moments are wondeful: holding hands, kisses, "Mommy, I don't love you, I love you super much". those are the moments i try to hold on to while i am losing my patience and am sending her to her room for the 10th time. everyone says this will pass, and that they need to master this stage. well, let's hurry up then. :)
My dear, I will gladly take the child off your hands providing legal documentation accompany the transfer:). Assuming you agree, we, your mom and I will be visiting you for three weeks in June and will escort my babies home :). Actually my dear, your cousins are correct; Continue to guide and correct with love coupled with mild discipline. Be consistent and persistent and all this will soon pass. It is just a phase. The challenge is how you choose to deal with it. God Bless.
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