Happy Birthday, Baby (Part 5)
But, with independence and exploring, comes the question of discipline. I like to think of discipline as guiding your child through the world and teaching using positive methods as often as possible. So, I redirect his attention, teach him how to do things gently, practice being safe, and so on. But, then there came the day where he bit me in the back of the leg. I let out a yelp of pain, not ready for this kind of behavior from him. He thought it was funny and did it again. Introduce the firm, stern mother who says “NO!” He didn’t like that.
And then the other day when he decided to investigate power plugs. Not just look at them, but to unplug and attempt to chew on them. After redirecting multiple times, I ended up having to come back down to the firm, stern mother who says, “NO!”
He crawled toward the plugs today and I told him no and he retreated and focused his attention on something else. That made me feel good that he’s at least beginning to listen when I need him to. I know it won’t always work as slick as I want, but hey, we’re giving it a good concerted effort. It’s interesting to work out a parenting style when it comes to these kinds of things.