A lesson for Rob & I in parenting

Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be.
-Goethe


Bed rest has basically been one big fat inconveince for both rob and I. However, for Benjamin he has had a hard time with it. A combo of terrible twos and dealing with change, mommy has had to be a little more creative with dealing with new behavioral issues. About 2 weeks ago, Benji started not listening to either rob or I... until like after the 5th time asking him with an overly "firm" voice. Rob and I also felt like time out was being way over used, and losing its affect. Slightly frustrated with how things were going, (because Benjamin is usually a very good and obedient boy), I decided we needed a new approach.

Benjamin loves praise, and he loves attention--- any kind of attention, even if it is negative. So, knowing his personality, I decided to play to it. I came up with a Sticker chart that focused on 3 behaviors we needed to work on.
I started it last Sunday. So far, it has been a success. Often Benjamin will proudly show us his sticker chart on the door, and wears his stickers that he gets with pride. We often refer to it, and tell him what a great job he has been doing with these behaviors. Within days, Benjamin has really responded well to it and we have seen such a decrease in behavioral problems. Benjamin now again responds to the first request, and has had fewer time outs, ect, (now time outs are reserved for only serious offenses).
Honestly,I also think,this chart is really for rob and I. As much as I would love to say it was all Benjamin that needed to change his behavior, I also think we get stuck in ruts as parents. It has been really great for us to pay more attention to Benjamin's positive behavior and give him praise for it. Its good to have reminders like this (from our kid) how to be better, loving and more patient parents! Yeah for sticker charts!