i love my son
i truly do. but lately he's been testing me to the limits of my sanity (and my ability to drink).
on monday, after i picked him up at school, we had to run around and pay bills. it was also our designated monthly trip to mcdonald's. the town we have to go to pay our cable bill has a mcdonald's, so we stop when we have to pay this particular bill. we also had to stop at the grocery store there and pick something up that i couldn't find when i got groceries.
anyway, we eat and then go into town to hit the grocery store then pay the bill. when i'm putting lucas back in the car after paying the cable bill, i noticed he had colored the back of my seat in the jeep with a yellow crayon. A YELLOW CRAYON! i took a deep breath and counted to 10. i asked him why he did it.
"because i couldn't reach the coloring book."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so he got his crayons and "car toys" taken away.
fast forward to wednesday night. it's bedtime, we read a story. we walk into his room. the entire side of his cream-colored toy box is colored with black crayon. BLACK CRAYON. again, i count to 10. i asked him why he did it.
"because it had an empty side."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
at that point i decided i didn't want to take the crayons away from him. i mean, what would that really solve? it would just take away the instrument, not teach him that it's wrong. i'd ask him all day thursday intermittently about coloring on this or that. he'd tell me he should only color on paper. i'm thinking i'm getting thru ... maybe he's learning.
hop on up to today at lunch. he asked for breakfast. i made him scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and toast. after a while, i go into his room and ask if he's done. he said he was, so i leaned down to pick up the plate from his table and i notice the mostly-white controller to his vmotion system as been colored on with a blue crayon. A BLUE CRAYON! without even counting to 10 i asked him why. he again used the "empty side" defense.
i sent him to bed. he has since fallen asleep. i just don't know what to do. all of a sudden this week he's decided to color on everything but paper. i gathered up all the crayons, markers, colored pencils and what have you in his room, but still. i still think it's just taking away the instrument.
princess--buffy suggested i make him clean up the mess he's made. which is a valid option. however, i just tried to clean the crayon off the toybox with a Magic Eraser, and it was harder than heck. there's no way he could've done it. i also wouldn't want him cleaning the upholstery in my Jeep. plus, he'd just whine and complain the whole time, and that would shoot my blood pressure sky high. which would just make me want to beat him.
i'd love to know why all of a sudden this week he has picked up this habit. he's been coloring for 3+ years and has never done anything like this. not even with markers! he has never colored on a table or a wall or the floor. why now? why this week?
on monday, after i picked him up at school, we had to run around and pay bills. it was also our designated monthly trip to mcdonald's. the town we have to go to pay our cable bill has a mcdonald's, so we stop when we have to pay this particular bill. we also had to stop at the grocery store there and pick something up that i couldn't find when i got groceries.
anyway, we eat and then go into town to hit the grocery store then pay the bill. when i'm putting lucas back in the car after paying the cable bill, i noticed he had colored the back of my seat in the jeep with a yellow crayon. A YELLOW CRAYON! i took a deep breath and counted to 10. i asked him why he did it.
"because i couldn't reach the coloring book."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so he got his crayons and "car toys" taken away.
fast forward to wednesday night. it's bedtime, we read a story. we walk into his room. the entire side of his cream-colored toy box is colored with black crayon. BLACK CRAYON. again, i count to 10. i asked him why he did it.
"because it had an empty side."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
at that point i decided i didn't want to take the crayons away from him. i mean, what would that really solve? it would just take away the instrument, not teach him that it's wrong. i'd ask him all day thursday intermittently about coloring on this or that. he'd tell me he should only color on paper. i'm thinking i'm getting thru ... maybe he's learning.
hop on up to today at lunch. he asked for breakfast. i made him scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and toast. after a while, i go into his room and ask if he's done. he said he was, so i leaned down to pick up the plate from his table and i notice the mostly-white controller to his vmotion system as been colored on with a blue crayon. A BLUE CRAYON! without even counting to 10 i asked him why. he again used the "empty side" defense.
i sent him to bed. he has since fallen asleep. i just don't know what to do. all of a sudden this week he's decided to color on everything but paper. i gathered up all the crayons, markers, colored pencils and what have you in his room, but still. i still think it's just taking away the instrument.
princess--buffy suggested i make him clean up the mess he's made. which is a valid option. however, i just tried to clean the crayon off the toybox with a Magic Eraser, and it was harder than heck. there's no way he could've done it. i also wouldn't want him cleaning the upholstery in my Jeep. plus, he'd just whine and complain the whole time, and that would shoot my blood pressure sky high. which would just make me want to beat him.
i'd love to know why all of a sudden this week he has picked up this habit. he's been coloring for 3+ years and has never done anything like this. not even with markers! he has never colored on a table or a wall or the floor. why now? why this week?