One step forward

five steps back...

It's just that kind of morning. I don't feel good, which is making it undeniably worse.

Maddie is not listening this morning. My patience is waning and I've given chances, explained things - but it's just not sinking in.

For example:

She had been crying about some random issue and needed a tissue, which she took out of the box.

"Please make sure you put it in the trash can when you are done," I told her as she was wiping her nose.

I walked out of the living room for a second - she did not leave the room and there is no trash can in the living room. I returned and the tissue was no where in sight.

"Maddie, where is the tissue? Did you put it in the trash can?" I asked.

"Uh-huh," she replied.

"But there isn't a trash can in here and you didn't leave the room, where is your dirty tissue?" I asked.

She walked over to a box near the desk and window and told me it was in there.

I just don't get it!

How in the world, 30 seconds after directly being told to do or not do something she does the exact thing I asked her not to do?

We were sitting at the desk looking at pictures of caterpillars and butterflies and she brought over a woven toy basket and said she was going to use it as a stool. I nicely explained to her that it was not something she could stand on because it would break.

What does she do? She turns it over and proceeds to step on it! Again, I tell her no - and that she cannot stand on it, but she keeps trying. And when I tell her no she starts whining and crying again.

Enough already with the whining and crying - it's making my head hurt!

I just told her that from this point on when she's crying and whining that I don't hear her and will not talk to her or acknowledge her when she's acting this way. 

It's completely something that she's doing on purpose - because she can turn it off in an instant.

And this means that in some small way I'm a failure as a parent because it's a negative behavior and I've obviously done SOMETHING to reinforce or reward her for this behavior - or perhaps it's others who are rewarding her for this behavior by giving into her whining fits.

I don't know - but I do know it's going to stop and it's starting today.

So if you're reading this and have a soft heart when it comes to whining and tantruming of little girls who are being manipulative - expect some changes. 

I'm not mean - I'm a parent - and I refuse to be controlled by a whiney three-year old who can turn it "off" in an instant.