I am not a fan of punishing Dotty (contrary to what my mom thinks...I don't enjoy being the bad guy). However I do believe that when I tell Dotty there will be consequences for her actions I plan to follow through with them so that she knows I do not make threats. I make promises.
Last night Dotty was beyond tired. So she was not in the mood to cooperate...or go to sleep. At 10:30pm I told her it was time for bed. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Lights out. Get still and go to sleep.
She played and played. She has a flower night light on her wall and usually when I tell her if she keeps playing I am going to turn it off she gets still. Last night after the 3rd and final "get still and go to sleep or the flower is going off" I got up from the bed and killed the flower.
Let the wailing, begging, pleading, screaming, kicking, crying, demanding, bargaining, and hating momma begin.
I am glad my next door neighbors are 80 year old nuns. Dotty was so loud I am sure you could hear her outside the walls.
I stood firm though. I informed Dotty that I had told her 3 times to get still, stop playing, and go to bed and each time she did not. I told her I warned her the flower was going to go off. I also told her that if she was good tomorrow she could have her flower on again. I even told her that when she did go to sleep I would turn the flower back on tonight.
Needless to say Dotty cried herself to sleep and I felt terrible. It was a good 15 minute standoff between me and my 3 year old. I may have won the fight but I knew I would still have more of a battle to come and I wanted to get ahead of the game early on.
This morning I got rewarded for my firm stance. Dotty was not wanting to get dressed for school so I told her if she did not get dressed I was going to turn off her t.v. She looked up at the flower, then at me, then she got dressed.
I guess you could say I have a little bit of "flower power" now.
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