Today was the first day of Layout A Day or LOAD. It was also a no-school day for Ryan because of below freezing temperatures here in southern Colorado. Thankfully it was an easy prompt, and I was inspired by a lovely picture of my mother's hand.
And this was the result.
Ryan was extremely cooperative today. Maybe my new Love & Logic skills are working? Maybe but more likely the fact that he was allowed to watch TV and play on his DS while I worked in my scrap studio. Probably not a great decision on my part.
So I have been taking a Love & Logic (L&L) Parenting class on Thursday evenings for 2 weeks now. I have been using L&L for quite a while, at least I used to use it when he was little. Unfortunately I had been slipping and yelling quite a bit lately. After some major frustration on both sides, we needed some serious changes. We started by negotiating and signing a contract. I agreed to take a 2 minute time-out in my room every time I started yelling, and Ryan agreed to "put energy into the household" (aka chores or room time) when he misbehaves. So as predicted, things are getting worse, he is pushing more & more. I know he needs to test his boundaries, to see if the changes are real. I know once he figures out that they are for real he won't need to test so much, but in the meantime it is soooo hard! He can push my buttons and twist my heart strings so easily. I must be strong, and stick to my guns! I cannot get angry and must use empathy. Here's hoping for a short adjustment period on his part and STRENGTH with consistency on my part.
Ryan was extremely cooperative today. Maybe my new Love & Logic skills are working? Maybe but more likely the fact that he was allowed to watch TV and play on his DS while I worked in my scrap studio. Probably not a great decision on my part.
So I have been taking a Love & Logic (L&L) Parenting class on Thursday evenings for 2 weeks now. I have been using L&L for quite a while, at least I used to use it when he was little. Unfortunately I had been slipping and yelling quite a bit lately. After some major frustration on both sides, we needed some serious changes. We started by negotiating and signing a contract. I agreed to take a 2 minute time-out in my room every time I started yelling, and Ryan agreed to "put energy into the household" (aka chores or room time) when he misbehaves. So as predicted, things are getting worse, he is pushing more & more. I know he needs to test his boundaries, to see if the changes are real. I know once he figures out that they are for real he won't need to test so much, but in the meantime it is soooo hard! He can push my buttons and twist my heart strings so easily. I must be strong, and stick to my guns! I cannot get angry and must use empathy. Here's hoping for a short adjustment period on his part and STRENGTH with consistency on my part.
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