Cohen: Exploring
Emerson: Pausing
Thank goodness for sticker charts, for they are sanity savers! It is amazing the way my eldest child will curb his behaviour for want of a sticker. Twenty stickers gets you a Lego mini figure, don't you know. I felt like we'd hit a wall with his behaviour and my patience. I was getting frustrated, dumping my frustration on my husband when he got home from work, then feeling better and wondering why he seemed frustrated. Sticker chart to the rescue!
Motherhood has taught me how important it is that I acknowledge Cohen in a positive moment - helping his sister, putting on his socks without whinging, playing quietly while Emerson sleeps - rather than falling in to the bad habit of only reacting when he does something he shouldn't. The sticker chart is a reminder for both of us to be mindful of our behaviour I think. I know there are many arguments surrounding external and internal motivation, so the chart will disappear from the fridge again sooner or later, just as it did when he was toilet training. But in the meantime it's working. And for that I think I deserve a sticker.
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Two of my favourites from last week - a sweet little hair puller and an adorable cuddle.
