Thursday, January 8, 2009

"Determined", a polite way of saying strong-willed, even difficult at times

We knew very early on that Luke was a determined child. You should have seen him learning to roll over as an infant! We were eager to see how this determination was going to play out in his life, but we also knew that it would bring new challenges into our home... I had no idea that it would mean having a 2 1/2 year old arguing with me! He does not just do the opposite of what I've asked, say "no", or "I do it self". He certainly does those things, but the the full-on arguing is something I didn't expect for years to come. It is especially bad when trying to get him out of the tub or into a new diaper or outfit. It's impossible to force a kicking, screaming, 35 pound child into a diaper, so let the games begin! I usually end up putting him into his crib, bare-bottomed, till he calms down and finally agrees to a diaper. Not so fast this morning!!! He was insisting on a Pull-Up. The problem with Pull-Ups is that he is between sizes. The 2T/4T fits like a string bikini, but the 4T/5T sags, leaks, and causes really bad rashes. So, I was insisting on a diaper and he was insisting on a Pull-Up. He was screaming, bawling, kicking and stomping around his crib. I tried rationalizing, explaining, talking, leaving him alone for a while... I thought about crying, but was too tired. Then I remembered the ice cream sandwich he asked for yesterday. I suddenly started negotiating, "If you will put on a diaper, you can have an ice cream sandwich". He said "No. Pull-Up... And peanut butter & jelly." I finally coaxed him into the diaper with the promise of the ice cream sandwich and peanut butter and jelly sandwich - FOR BREAKFAST. Some may say I lost, but I say we both won. He's no longer crying and is wearing a well-fitting Pampers Cruiser, and he and Zach both enjoyed lunch and dessert for breakfast! I have no idea how I'm going to negotiate another diaper in a few hours.

1 comment:

Joleene said...

Hi Tanya, I found your blog from Cori's. Good to see you.

Don't worry about the bribery...I do it all the time.