I'm trying to be deliberate with the Positive Mothering this week. Instead of saying (or yelling, as the case may sadly be), "Stop YELLING," I am saying, "Use a quiet voice, please." Although by the time I've gotten that statement out, the yelling has already awakened the sleeping baby. Instead of, "Stop WHINING!" I say, "Use a normal voice, please." Instead of, "STOP coloring on the coffee table," I say, "Color on the paper only, please." You get the picture. Although I was flummoxed, just minutes ago. I couldn't think of a way to put a positive spin on, "Stop smearing Desitin all over the pack-n-play."
Also, we had a raccoon. In our attic. The husband boarded up the point of entry and we have not seen her in a couple of days, which hopefully means she was just nesting and had not yet birthed any baby raccoons. That's what I'm telling myself. And, no offense to Beatrix Potter and Mrs. Tittlemouse, but I was rather grateful that it was a raccoon we had been hearing rustling around up there and not something else.
Hudson calls buttons "butts". I push the BUTT! I have BUTT on my shirt! You have BUTT on your shorts! Comedy, I tell you.
I am on page 640 of Atlas Shrugged--just 400 pages to go!
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Okay. Thank you for saying you yell. Lately, I believe that's all I've done ("HOW many times do I have to tell you to COME HERE???"). Although, in defense of my children, they ARE trying, but get easily distracted by any little thing that catches their fancy. I know it won't always be like this, that I should appreciate their curiosity and willingness to try new things (your story about Desitin-smearing comes to mind), but it's exhausting and a little mind-numbing.
Good luck with the positivity experiment; I want to do it, too.
Just be thankful that desitin is the medium of choice.
Not to rain on your parade, but I've heard some pretty frightening things about raccoons. Esp. the mommies. "Vicious" and "don't be in the house, but rather have a professional get the thing out" are the words I remember...
Yes, Margie. It is oftentimes their distractions that keep them from immediate obedience. Harper is especially intent on finishing whatever important task she's working on before she can respond to me properly. Instead of saying, "Wow I see that you are really interested in finding Cinderella's tiny glass slipper on the beige Berber carpet for the eighth time this hour, but I need you to put your shoes on so we can go," I snap, "PUT your SHOES on NOW!!" I am not a yeller. I really don't want to be a yeller.
Yes, Mrs. B, Desitin is MUCH better than poop. And I know that YOU surely know that my husband is FULLY aware of the Raccoon Menace and had his SHOTgun loaded and ready just in case things got feral.
Ah, the distractions. I was just talking with my mother-in-law this evening about that. How in the world do I teach David to FOCUS on what he's doing??? Some days it seems like an impossible task. :)
Patti, I just wanted you to know how grateful I am for the comment you left on my blog about a week ago. I didn't even know you read my blog! :) Your words were very encouraging to me; thank you!
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