Friday, July 16, 2010

Spoil the child...

I was talking to my mother today and she was talking about something MIB had done this morning that she had no business doing.  As we were discussing that she then said that when she turns sixteen that she was going to walk all over me.  Um wha?

Me: "What do you mean 'she's going to walk all over me?'"
Nani: "You spoil her and she is going to walk all over you, that's what I mean."
M: "No I don't...how do you figure that?"
N: "Well, you laugh at the things that she do that are wrong and you think that they are cute."

Hmm...

I will admit, sometimes some of the things that she does that are wrong I do think that they are cute.  SOMETIMES.  But I don't let her know that.  If she does something she KNOWS she has no business doing, I let it be known that she was wrong and will issue out a punishment accordingly.  But there are times when she gives this look or says something that is honestly funny and I really REALLY try not to laugh in front of her face or while I'm punishing her.  But if it's funny then dammit it's funny.  I can't help that and neither can she (I think...she's smarter than what I sometimes give her credit for).

And then there are those times when I am laughing to keep from crying.  Like today for example.  MIB had her water bottle and poured it on the table and carpet in the living room.  She almost always does something like this and we get on her every time she does it but it's just her thing (you know how little ones are when they discover something that they love doing or are amazed by...they keep doing it no matter how much time out or other ways of punishment are issued).  So while on the phone with my mom, I laughed.  But it was one of those "This child gone drive me crazy" laughs instead of "Oh that's so cute she pour water on the floor again" laughs. 

I don't think I am spoiling my daughter.  Well at least not to the point of her walking all over me and being able to get away with goodness knows what when she's really old enough to know what she's doing.  I try to keep a balance in my child's life where the more serious things are taken well more seriously and the things that two year olds do aren't taken as seriously.  My mom is a believer in more serious punishments for things that she does that aren't worthy of those punishments. 

My question is: where is the balance?  What action deserves a more serious consequence and what doesn't?

2 comments:

  1. It's tough being a parent and truly knowing the right way to dole out discipline. I think as MIB gets older you will be able to tell whether you made the right choices. But its tough. Only thing I will say is never punish out of anger. Or at least try not to. And more importantly, make sure the punishment fits the crime. I tried to raise my son the way my mom raised me, but all that spanking dont work for me. I feel too guilty and I just think its uncalled for. I truly believe it doesnt teach the proper problem solving skills. I am the queen of taking things away. Namely that xbox 360!

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  2. Hey...
    See I try to take things from her but she's only two so I don't think she quite gets the concept of having things taken away from her. Spankings really don't work for me either. But I'm kind of in between a rock and a hard place because she doesn't respond to things being taken away, time outs or spankings. So I'm just being a patient as I possibly can with her. But my mom is SO IMPATIENT and she's a loud one LOL...but I tell her most of the time that don't work. I'm just going to have to find alternate solutions.

    But for the most part she's pretty good but sometimes...those terrible twos...drive me UP.THE.WALL. LMAO

    KMN

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