The Battle of the Boots

This morning, I was trying to get Jr out of the house for a possible Sabbath School outing.  If Sabbath School made one of us feel cranky, we would go to the library.  Regardless, there would have been a very nice outing if Jr had not waged the Battle of the Boots.

These tantrums are going to have to stop.  I realized this morning that we need to change tactics.  I have all sorts of outings planned for Jr every week, except that getting him to the outing is impossible!  If you manage to get his boots on, he’ll rebel against the stroller.  If you try to get him to walk, he’ll throw himself on the ground.  This is not productive, and it tends to grate on my very last nerve.

So today, after Jr waged a solid battle (that left me physically sore), his father and I decided that things are going to have to change.  Simply not giving in to him is no longer working now that he’s getting strong enough to land a few solid blows.   While we don’t believe in inflicting any blows in return, there is going to have to be some discipline that he understands as discipline!

So our next attempt is going to be the Time Out.  When he doesn’t obey, he’s going to be put in his toddler-proofed bedroom for a Time Out.  When he throws a fit, Time Out.  When he tries to maul the doggie and won’t listen to his mother tell him to stop, Time Out.

I’m hopeful that this might bring some peace back to our home.  I’ll keep you posted!  And any ideas you might have on the subject, are always welcome!