For the record, the 2's were not terrible, they were fantastic. So far, the 3's are tricky still great, but tricky. Jaxon is certainly exercising his free will, at almost every juncture. Don't get me wrong he's not a terror, just a strong willed kid, with a big vocabulary and tons of energy.
I've been pretty stumped because I don't have lots of time with Jaxon like other moms,and I felt like I was constantly disciplining him when I was with him. However I also know this time of his life is crucial, in establishing obedience and good behavior. A slippery slope I found myself heading down was the bribing. (Parenting tricks like if you do this you can have a treat, or watch a show) He started to make deals about everything, and quickly expect a payoff. All of this information could probably have been found in a tidy little parenting book, but I've been in the trenches, finding out the hard way.
Thinking back to training dogs, with positive reinforcement rather than fear of discpline or consequence, I worked up this chart hoping to positively reinforce good behavior. I took Jaxon to the store and let him pick out any stickers he wanted. (yes we came back with trucks and hearts) He can score a few stickers in each category each day (be nice to your sister, eat your food, pick up your toys, brush your teeth, and go to bed) He is going to be able to turn in his stickers for trips to the dino museum, zoo, aquarium or explora. (yes I'm sneaking in some learning as a reward) Muahhaha!!!!
Any moms that have any other tips from the front lines, feel free to share. Come to think of it I should probably join some sort of mom group to discuss these things, but that would cut into family time so its a no.
