As mentioned previously, my son fears little to no consequences. He is good most of the time, but when he’s not it’s challenging to figure out what to do. This past weekend he did not have his listening ears on. I am VERY guilty of making empty threats, which all great parenting guides tell you not to do. If you are going to say, we are not going HERE if you do THAT again, you are supposed to not go there if they do it again. I find myself just saying if you don’t listen we aren’t going HERE over and over. I got so tired of hearing myself say that this past Saturday that I finally stuck to my guns and we didn’t go to the kid’s play place we planned on going to. (Another parenting guide tip is not to take things away that YOU want to do…so I failed there. This would have been fun and a good way to tire out a boy who fights his nap these days. And my husband was out of town so I was just trying to survive this weekend, with my parents helping out where they could taking one kid while I had the other.) I was happy I finally put my foot down. Instead of going to the play place we went to the hippie grocery store (love/hate relationship) before we went home.
My son was still being a bit of a goofball and not listening all too well in the hipper grocery store. That’s fair, he’s 3. The cashier took one look at him, he is so damn cute (ask anyone), and pulled out a lollipop. She kinda asked me if she could give it to him and I said, “No thank you. Normally I would say yes but he isn’t listening too well today so he can’t have that lollipop.” His back was turned and he didn’t see it. After she rang up all my groceries she pulled it out AGAIN and by this time the cart was past her so he could see it. She was walking towards him with it, holding it out in front of her, saying promise your mommy you will be good and then gives it to him.
OH. NO. YOU. DIDN’T.
So then I had to take it away and he obviously wasn’t happy about that. Usually during these kind of things I’m so shocked I don’t say anything because I can’t get past the shock fast enough to get my words out. But since this B started with these shenanigans before she rung up my groceries I was ready now. It went something like this…
“I understand you are just trying to be nice and he’s a cute little boy, but when you asked me I said no. It is not your call if you can give him a lollipop or not, it’s mine. He cannot behave badly and get what he wants so you shouldn’t have done that. It is not your call to make.”
Oh gurl, you are lucky that is all I said to you.
Life with Littles 