I am reading The Strong-Willed Child by Dr. Dobson and am learning a lot. First, I realized that he must have met Caleb somewhere along the line, because he described him to a tee! :)
I'm also getting some good ideas about discipline from it. With a strong-willed child, counting to three (like everyone pretty much does) just gives them an excuse not to listen until you get to 2 1/2! That is sooo Caleb. He does whatever it is he was supposed to do riiiiiiiight before I get to 3 to avoid punishment. Dr. Dobson made the point that if you want him to do something, he should do it the first time you ask. I will still give a reminder (he is 3) but I'm trying really hard not to count. I have caught myself several times!
There are some areas of the book that I'm skimming/skipping (I don't need to read about adolescence yet...I'll just save the book until then and read that section when the time comes!), but as a whole I've found it useful.
The big thing I'm trying to remind myself is that this strong will that I'm trying to reign in will also be helpful in life. At times, I have had to repeat that many times! :)
I love my boy and really want to learn how to get him to obey without crushing his spirit. He's been giving me plenty of opportunities to learn.... :)
I'm also getting some good ideas about discipline from it. With a strong-willed child, counting to three (like everyone pretty much does) just gives them an excuse not to listen until you get to 2 1/2! That is sooo Caleb. He does whatever it is he was supposed to do riiiiiiiight before I get to 3 to avoid punishment. Dr. Dobson made the point that if you want him to do something, he should do it the first time you ask. I will still give a reminder (he is 3) but I'm trying really hard not to count. I have caught myself several times!
There are some areas of the book that I'm skimming/skipping (I don't need to read about adolescence yet...I'll just save the book until then and read that section when the time comes!), but as a whole I've found it useful.
The big thing I'm trying to remind myself is that this strong will that I'm trying to reign in will also be helpful in life. At times, I have had to repeat that many times! :)
I love my boy and really want to learn how to get him to obey without crushing his spirit. He's been giving me plenty of opportunities to learn.... :)
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