Family Thursday

Cutie Pie absolutely loves his big-boy cousin (6 yrs old) and little sister cousin (2 1/2) and goes wild when he’s around them, mostly him! Usually Sweet Pea goes into separation anxiety mode and takes a while to warm up to them. I was a very happy Mommy when the day was done.

Sweet Pea actually left my arms within a few minutes of arriving at their house and wandered into the next room all by himself and stayed quite content for a good majority of the day. Cutie Pie went crazy, as usual, and had a lot of time playing with his older cousin. Little Sister cousin stayed quite content while playing near Sweet Pea. We had no breakdowns at leaving time, no out-of-hand issues. It was so pleasant! AND the mommies got to visit while the daddies got to hang out while watching the kids!

With Hubby being home this week Cutie Pie has had a little more attention, as well as a little more discipline. I know many moms can relate, but being with the kiddos all day it is so hard to use Time Out as often as I know I need to. Often I take the easier road. Every time Hubby is home on break I am reminded of how better things can be when Cutie Pie is gently reminded to be a good boy through the use of Time Outs in addition to verbal reprimands. I can more clearly see that he is a boy who likes routine and also one who sometimes tests the boundaries without realizing it, but who craves to know where they lie. I wonder if it is my ‘duty’ to be tired and worn out sometimes by the discipline so that I will remember where they lie as well…and will remember how tiring it is so that I’ll be pushed back to the discipline until I’m no longer tired. (Read ‘until my child has children of their own and uses that same discipline with their children and understands why I used it with them.’) Of course, I could always be wrong…