Stealing a favorite line from my 5 year-old, “raise your hand if…” you feel like you are constantly correcting your kids. Is it just me? The last few months have been
Deceptively adorable, aren't they?
exhausting at our house. With an almost 3 year-old and a mouthy 5 year-old, I feel like I’m constantly correcting someone or refereeing an argument. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that getting them to do anything requires repeating it at least 5 times and I’m starting to annoy myself.
I know it’s important to teach them right from wrong, set healthy boundaries for them, all that good stuff. But I’m doing so much of that, I feel like it’s robbing us of fun and joy in our day. I’m sure there are lots of things I can change, but this week I’ve decided to focus on one thing – more positive reinforcement. In the midst of all the correcting I’ve noticed a significant absence of positive comments and interactions in our day. I’m hoping that by looking for and pointing out the things they’re doing well I’ll slowly encourage more of that behavior and less of the other. Either way, I think it’s important to their self-esteem to and our relationship to make sure that I’m pointing out the good in them.
Before I could even hit publish on this post I had to stop Bam-Bam from throwing toys at the wall. This is not going to be an easy task. Wish me luck!
