a thought on parenting....

Well, here's my thought for the day. It was a positive realization that I was actually doing something "well" as a parent.
Today Lydia was having a bad attitude about cleaning-up and going to nap. I told her that she had to play with her stamps in a certain way, so as not to get them on her quilt. She slammed her hand down on the bed and said, "I don't want to!" And - suddenly - I realized what I needed to do. I simply said, "then I'm taking your stamps" and I put them away.
Boy did that make her mad! But in a good way, you know? She realized without me telling her - which, of course I did explain to her as well - that she doesn't get to have things when she has a bad attitude. End of story.
You know why this made me feel good? Because the lesson was so clear and so simple. It's disciplining techniques like this that are useful to use on a 1.5 year old, and a 10 year old. She made a bad decision and the consequence was immediate and very effective. I felt like I had not screamed and yelled in an attempt to make her change, and yet I felt in control of the situation. I told her that she would have a chance to get them back, but that she wouldn't have them at this nap time. Ahh....it was almost a pleasant experience. But not quite, because that would defeat the purpose after all.
Guess what? She had a very happy heart for the rest of nap time!