Today, I took my four children to Target just for a couple of things. I’m all about strategy as a mom. It started with our twins–our first babies. As you can imagine, it’s not easy to have two babies at the same time. I have always been determined, however, to discipline my children so that I can take them to public places without going crazy. I have seen parents yell and even spank their children in department stores. I cringe at the memory.
That is not to say that my children do not misbehave. I’m just saying that my strategy is to prepare them for the trip so we can enjoy it. I had to make a tough decision today. My twin boys did not behave well. I had promised the children popcorn–Target has great popcorn. Even though I wanted to let them browse the toy aisles and buy them popcorn, I did not. We paid for the two items we went in for and left. I was angry, but I waited. I helped the little ones into their car seats and locked the doors before talking. That time was crucial for my response. Because I had time to think about what I wanted to teach them, I was able to address the issue without lashing out. The bottom line is that I cannot reward them for bad behavior no matter how disappointing it is for them or me.
It doesn’t matter how old your child is, whether infant or 3-year-old or 15-year-old. We have to know our limits and our children’s limits. We all have them. Being a parent is difficult. So, if your child is screaming and you don’t want to leave the store, what will you do? I cannot answer that for you. The solution can be anything from leaving to time-out in the bathroom (with regard to age of your child of course). The advice I give is simply this: You have to make the tough decisions. Be willing to make them. We are the only ones who love our children enough to discipline them. A good friend reminded me of this just this morning:).
What difficult decision have you made lately? Just click on the coment link below and share it with us. We can learn so much from each other.
For further reading try one of these:
Making Children Mind without Losing Yours
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