29 October 2008

Clever Mummy

Sonny Ma-Jiminy, who still sucks a sheet when he's in bed (or watching TV, or in the car, or hurt, tired or upset ... but that's all), continues to ask me to stop whatever I'm doing and get his sheet for him, when he's perfectly capable of doing it himself.

Suggesting that he does it himself doesn't go down very well, but I've decided that if I refuse to get it, he will learn that it's no use asking me. If he really wants it, he has to get it himself.

However, he never learns, and continues to ask me to get it for him. I continue to refuse, and he continues to throw tantrums. We've got it all worked out.

I often ask him if I stop what I'm doing and go and get his sheet, who will do my job? Who will complete the task I was doing when he interrupted me? He's thought about this dilemma and he knows that it's an issue, but still asks me to get his sheet for him.

Today, I had a win. I was picking up pieces of egg from the kitchen floor under Sonny's chair. It was a gross job, but not one that I was prepared to delay.



SMJ: Mum, can you get my sheet? (Note the absence of 'please'.)

Me: Okay, I will. You can pick up all this egg mess and I'll go and get your sheet. (Pause) OR... I pick up the mess and you get the sheet?

SMJ: You pick up the egg. (Ran off and got sheet by himself.)

12 comments:

Dee said...

Good win. Does he remember where it is always???? I get constantly asked, "have you seen my woofy???"
Many a crazy search has been done for Woofy.

Alison said...

Sometimes the mom actually gets through to them. Good for you!

Jen said...

YEAH, MOM 1 SMJ 0 ;)

Swift Jan said...

Woo Hoo!! i might use that one myself!

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Excellent tactic. I am so going to use it.

Tracy P. said...

"We've got it all worked out." :-)

We've got a lot of things worked out just like that. What makes them keep trying, we really can't imagine.

Le said...

Ahh great heads up - first born still has blue blankie .... at five.

I am ok with this - but not the constant fetch and carry - hmmmm

I will try your way - many thanks le

Givinya De Elba said...

I'm so totally cool with him still sucking that disgusting thing. It's a strategy to calm him when otherwise he's go ballistic at the shops, church, home, in the car, etc. I NEED it!

That's bad, isn't it?

GreenJello said...

I still remember the sad, sad day when Kayla's blankie came out of the washing machine, no longer usable... well, DIDN'T come out of the washing machine, because it was in twelve bazillion teensy tiny pieces...

She's managed to survive to 16 without it, though. :)

Stephanie said...

Yay for you!!! Such a great feeling when we find something that actually works. :)

Nauntie Lush said...

Bacon has taken to sucking his shirts, which is a replacement for the blankie he sucked prior. It is more disgusting and foul than I imagined...but he shuts his tantrum in seconds as opposed to the hours from before.

I like your tactic too. Although I don't think that Bacon would do it, replying "You can do both Momma!"

CynthiaK said...

Go egg!

Hope you find lots of other gooey things under the table that can be used as negotiating tools.