Parenting Fails and a Win: Snow Day Edition

Monday was a difficult day for me.

It was a teacher workday, which means the kids stayed home (and not for snow, like all of last week and like today!), but Craig had to work.  And, Craig had a bunch of projects to work on plus teacher training and meetings, so he had warned me that he would probably be home after the kids were already in bed.

So I had the kids all to myself all day long.* And man, I had Bentley screaming at me for the most ridiculous things.  At one point, he wanted to play with his new multi-tool he'd gotten as a reward for his popcorn sales with cub scouts.  There was a block of wood sitting outside on the picnic table, so I told him he could play with that, but he had to dress warmly (Monday was surprisingly NOT frighteningly cold; then the temperature dropped about thirty degree the next day).  So he pulled on some pants over his pajamas and threw on his coat and boots.  And then thirty seconds later he's back inside, but now with the block of wood!  I told him he had to play OUTSIDE with his stuff, and he begins screaming at me that I had never told him that and that he'd already taken off his shoes!!!!  I pointed out that he just needed to put his shoes back on, but if he continued yelling at me, he'd just get in big trouble.  Five minutes after that, Craig (via text) told me to remind him that he couldn't use the blade without Daddy around, and we were back to him screaming at me.  Good times.  It makes me think of this awesome blog post.  A lot.


Earlier, we'd had the following conversation:

Bentley: I'm bored!  There's nothing to do!

Me: Okay, but I want you to understand something.  If you complain that you're bored, I'm going to find chores for you to do.  I'll let that one pass, but from now on, whining that you're bored will just mean chores.

Bentley: But there's nothing to do!!!!!

Me: Okay, so that means you can put away your clean clothes.

Bentley: But- but- I'm bored!!!

Me: Yes, so now you won't be bored while you put away your clothes.

Bentley: AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



So that was frustrating.

Later on, the conversation started all over again, but ended very differently.  This time, I made him help me clean up the downstairs because he was bored.  He whined for a few minutes about it.

And then.  Then...  He caught the vision.  He began running around actually helping me put stuff away!  And he was loving it!  He would exclaim, "Our house is so clean now!  It's like a reward for tidying up!  I love having a clean house!  We should do this EVERY DAY!!!!"

He spent at least a half hour helping me out and was ecstatic over the whole thing.  I will never understand my son.

Ever.

But my house is sure a lot cleaner now...!

And today, with a snow day and Craig having class tonight so I'm back in the same boat I was in on Monday, I feel like I'm handling my kids much better. 

So I guess I'm learning from my mistakes.  Or figuring out what works.  Or something...




*Except for about a half hour when I totally ditched them with my friend Vangie so I could sneak out and visit Tracy in the hospital and meet her new baby!  Thanks for being awesome about that, Vangie!!!!!