Sunday, October 14, 2012

Plan for Good Behavior: Step 1, House Rules

Today we implemented our first step in trying to correct the kids' bad behavior. They have gone off the rails lately (Thomas the Tank Engine, why are you always in my head now?), being so defiant and snooty. Time to nip that craziness in the bud.

This morning at breakfast we had the kids "help" us think of things that qualify for a time out. We don't have a ton of house rules (turns out there are 6), so they're pretty familiar with what gets them thrown in the baby clink.

1. No hurting other people or animals. No hitting, pushing, shoving, pinching, kicking, pulling, or scratching.

2. No jumping or bouncing on the bed or the couch. [We've had too many accidents to let them jump on the furniture.]

3. No yelling when there is a roof over your head. [That way this rule applies to any "inside" place, including inside the car.]

4. No running when there is a roof over your head.

5. No putting things in your mouth that aren't fresh food. Do not put toys in your mouth and do not eat food that you find on the ground. [Georgia especially has a problem with this. She puts EVERYTHING in her mouth.]

6. No ignoring Mommy and Daddy. You must follow directions. No being defiant.

We talked a lot today about our "Time Out List" and for some reason it seemed to help their behavior a little bit. It's as if they suddenly saw that we weren't asking a million different little things of them, just a few big rules.

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