As much as I wanted to freak out and pop Caesar on the nose, I tried my very hardest to not be the bitch mom again. I could already tell he knew what he did was wrong by the sad way he was cowering around. I didn't even bother raising my voice (too much). Instead, I used some of the same techniques that I read about using on kids with the dog. I bent down looked him square in the eyes, and calmly but sternly said, "Caesar, no!"
And that was that. I cleaned up the mess, felt awesome that I didn't lose my cool, and everyone went on with their day. The whole time, I just kept thinking that this is exactly the approach I need to continue to take with the girls. It probably took less effort to remain calm than it does to get all worked up over little things.
Overall, yesterday was a much better day. It helped that Veronica was in school and Adri and I kept busy just as I was hoping. Thanks for all of your kind comments.
Today, we'll be taking a trip to the zoo. Hubster is working, so we're going along with another family. Thank God it's Friday, and we'll get to spend the next few days relaxing.
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I feel terrible for saying this, but I will be the mom who hits her kids. Slapping is my lifelong reaction to things that make me upset. Luckily, I've never slapped a child that I was babysitting.
ReplyDeleteGood job on keeping your cool, it's hard sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a good time on your zoo trip. Your day was similar to mine. My dog, who is 4 months old, chewed my cell phone. Now some of the buttons sticks and it acts goofy. Rather than go batcrap crazy, I surprised myself by remaining quite calm. We don't kennel our pup either, although we do allow her on our couch. For the most part, she's good at not chewing on things and we're good about not leaving things lay around for her to chew on. But she's tested my patience a few times.
ReplyDeleteGood job mama!! It's hard, but it pays off.
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