(no subject)
Nathan has started to outsmart me. He's actually been doing that since the day he was born, but he's found a new one.
Bedtime is a fight around here. Every kid wants to stay up all night long and they feed off of each other and use each other as excuses not to go to bed. I tell this to people and they say "Not in my house. When I say do this, they do this, there is no argument." That's great parenting, but it's not so easy when you have three kids with three moms. It's not even a matter of a lack of coordination or agreement amongst parents as to what they are told, it's just how it is.
Parent 1: I don't want to see you out of that bed again.
Child 3: But child 2 is out of bed, I just want to see what child 2 is doing.
Parent 1: It's not your concern what child 2 is doing. Look, child 1 is in bed.
Child 3: But...
Parent 3: GO TO BED
Child 1: I can't sleep with all of you yelling like this
Child 2: Child 3 is bothering me and I'm never going to get to sleep
Parent 1: Then sleep somewhere else. Try your own bed in your own room.
Child 2: But I need new sheets.
Parent 2: Why are you all three in bed yet?
Parent 1: Child 1 is out of bed because child 2 didn't go to bed because child 3 is bothering her and child 3 is up because the other two are up.
Parent 2: GO TO BED 1 2 DON'T MAKE ME GET TO THE LAST NUMBER. 3 YOU'RE ALL GROUNDED TOMORROW.
Child 1: You're not my mom.
Parent 1: You're grounded tomorrow and the next day.
Child 2: Mom...
Parent 2: Goodnight. Now.
Child 3: Goodnight.
Child 2: Fine. Goodnight.
When it's just me and Nathan now it's
Mama: Night night time Nathan. Put your cars away and find your blankie.
Nathan: No. Not night night time. Look my cars Mommy.
M: Very nice, now put them away and go night night.
N: NOT NIGHT NIGHT TIME. I play my cars. Vrooom.
M: It is night night time.
N: NO IT'S NOT
M: What story do you want to read?
N: You read me story? Let's go night night, you read me story.
read story, tuck in, leave, find him upstairs a few minutes later.
M: Why aren't you in bed?
N: I watch tv.
M: No, you don't watch tv, you go night night so you can go to school tomorrow.
N: I go school tomorrow, I watch tv now.
M: [turning off tv] You go to bed so you can be rested for school or I take your cars away and you won't play with them tomorrow.
N: Ok Mommy, you take my cars away.
He knows how unlikely I am to actually do this. Take his cars away and have him pulling on my shirt all the next day "Mommy, I'm bored. I wanna play cars" just doesn't sound like punishment for him as much as it is for me. Not that the cars are a subsitute for me, but after I get home from work, I don't mind sitting in the living room while he plays cars at my feet or at my computer with him on my bed playing cars. I just can't have him run to me as I walk in the door and glue hinmself to the underside of my shirt. So when I threaten to take his cars away, he laughs at me. I won't be so cruel. I can take the tv away, but that's only good while I'm home and nobody else is watching tv. I could tell him he can't go outside, but he doesn't like to go outside as much anymore, besides it's getting too cold outside. He's got cars, tv, school, and me. And you see how those last two options are not options to take away.
Anybody have suggestions for either or both these scenarios? I'm totally open to them.
Bedtime is a fight around here. Every kid wants to stay up all night long and they feed off of each other and use each other as excuses not to go to bed. I tell this to people and they say "Not in my house. When I say do this, they do this, there is no argument." That's great parenting, but it's not so easy when you have three kids with three moms. It's not even a matter of a lack of coordination or agreement amongst parents as to what they are told, it's just how it is.
Parent 1: I don't want to see you out of that bed again.
Child 3: But child 2 is out of bed, I just want to see what child 2 is doing.
Parent 1: It's not your concern what child 2 is doing. Look, child 1 is in bed.
Child 3: But...
Parent 3: GO TO BED
Child 1: I can't sleep with all of you yelling like this
Child 2: Child 3 is bothering me and I'm never going to get to sleep
Parent 1: Then sleep somewhere else. Try your own bed in your own room.
Child 2: But I need new sheets.
Parent 2: Why are you all three in bed yet?
Parent 1: Child 1 is out of bed because child 2 didn't go to bed because child 3 is bothering her and child 3 is up because the other two are up.
Parent 2: GO TO BED 1 2 DON'T MAKE ME GET TO THE LAST NUMBER. 3 YOU'RE ALL GROUNDED TOMORROW.
Child 1: You're not my mom.
Parent 1: You're grounded tomorrow and the next day.
Child 2: Mom...
Parent 2: Goodnight. Now.
Child 3: Goodnight.
Child 2: Fine. Goodnight.
When it's just me and Nathan now it's
Mama: Night night time Nathan. Put your cars away and find your blankie.
Nathan: No. Not night night time. Look my cars Mommy.
M: Very nice, now put them away and go night night.
N: NOT NIGHT NIGHT TIME. I play my cars. Vrooom.
M: It is night night time.
N: NO IT'S NOT
M: What story do you want to read?
N: You read me story? Let's go night night, you read me story.
read story, tuck in, leave, find him upstairs a few minutes later.
M: Why aren't you in bed?
N: I watch tv.
M: No, you don't watch tv, you go night night so you can go to school tomorrow.
N: I go school tomorrow, I watch tv now.
M: [turning off tv] You go to bed so you can be rested for school or I take your cars away and you won't play with them tomorrow.
N: Ok Mommy, you take my cars away.
He knows how unlikely I am to actually do this. Take his cars away and have him pulling on my shirt all the next day "Mommy, I'm bored. I wanna play cars" just doesn't sound like punishment for him as much as it is for me. Not that the cars are a subsitute for me, but after I get home from work, I don't mind sitting in the living room while he plays cars at my feet or at my computer with him on my bed playing cars. I just can't have him run to me as I walk in the door and glue hinmself to the underside of my shirt. So when I threaten to take his cars away, he laughs at me. I won't be so cruel. I can take the tv away, but that's only good while I'm home and nobody else is watching tv. I could tell him he can't go outside, but he doesn't like to go outside as much anymore, besides it's getting too cold outside. He's got cars, tv, school, and me. And you see how those last two options are not options to take away.
Anybody have suggestions for either or both these scenarios? I'm totally open to them.