Mom was ready to "lose it" with her 7 year old son. He wasn't getting dressed for school and kept ignoring her. She was about to "get the spoon" (a threat that had worked in the past). Instead, mom took a deep breath, counted to 10 and then gave him a choice, "You can either get dressed or go to school in your Pajama's", and she left the room. A few minutes later he came out all dressed and ready for school. Way to avoid a battle mom!!
Christi Marquez, RCB Grad
I’ve tried this many times. My child sees right through it. She has all the options. I have zero, it seems.
“You can either get dressed or go to school in your Pajama’s”
1. She will scream violently. I will have to get earplugs to survive the damage. She’s been blessed with massive vocal chords!
If I try to leave, she will follow me. If I get her to stay in her room, she will bang and wail, and I will have to somehow concentrate on something else. If the police heard the noise, they’d be knocking. Because the things she says are so dramatic, you’d think she was an abused inmate. Meanwhile she’s getting so worked up, it will take hours to recover.
2. If I follow through, and take her to school in her PJs, there will probably be trouble for me from the school.