Yell at him for kicking the gate – ask him to open the gate, yell at him for not doing it fast enough…yell at him for trying to climb over the gate — and at the top of the steps — tell him not to bang the gate — just close it gently.
It works! (as long as there isn’t a gate!)
For the first time in 7 years – J and I are able to roam the home without a gate…I will not miss the banging of the gate against the wall – I can still hear it in my head, I will not miss telling the kids not to swing on it, I will not miss the closer being at eye level of half our children and knocking bruises on their faces, I will not miss trying to open it while carrying a load or two of laundry in my arms, I will not miss stubbing my toe on it…
it is a big milestone, it is a little bit exciting, a little sad at the same time (our babies are growing up)– but the fear of J or I falling down the steps — tremendous!
After a weekend of working with A-s to stop hitting — everyone in his path — reciting “We don’t hit!” over and over again…
Bob turns around this morning and was bawling his 7 year old eyes out! Saying that Puppy bit him. I turned to Puppy and said, Puppy – we don’t bite!
Poor Puppy looked up at me with those puppy dog eyes of his and said — “Mommy, I no hit him?!?”
How do you not laugh? My 7 year old is in tears, and my two year old thinks he figured out how to listen!
The boys exchanged hugs and a special kiss is delivered to the wound — and our new mantra is …”We don’t hit or bite”
When we named our children we thought long and hard about how each name would honor the person they were named after…the way it fit into the exhisting family of names ended up being an afterthought….
The confusion has increased over the years, with drs appts and playdates — but as a side affect it has created posting confustion – as I post I can’t Say J Y A and A when there are two A’s and a husband J — let’s see if this code works for now.
J-h — J — Husband
J-s — Bob — Son
Y-d — Belle — Daughter
A-d — Bean — Daughter
A-s — Puppy — Son
Edit — ok that wasn’t working for me- let’s try nicknames…
Well – this was supposed to be a place just for me — but alas J liked the name too much to waiste it on private thoughts — so it is now public…and not for me:) It’s ok — we needed a place to post things we should remember and highlight about our children. This will be the place. For those of you who know us IRL – you get the name – Bob, Belle, Bean & Puppy… we (E and J) are a loving couple – married for almost 9 years – with 4 beautiful healthy children who come with each of their own challenges. This is our story….
Just Your Average Adventure 