Positive discipline

Well, we had an incident with Myles this week that really caused me to stop and wonder what I'm doing wrong when it comes to discipline. We've settled into this routine where anytime we ask Myles to do something, he will ALWAYS either ignore us or say no (unless it's something like eating a piece of cake). So we'll sternly ask him again and sometimes even a 3rd time. When he still doesn't comply, we'll say Myles...Myles...Myles, are you listening to Mommy? (or Daddy) Our voice grows more stern with each syllable. He always looks over then to acknowledge us. Then we'll start counting...one...TWO...and he complies. He doesn't want us to get to three because when we do, he gets a swat on the bottom. (while many parents disagree with spanking, we do not as long as it's never done in anger)

This strategy, though, is getting old. And it's not correcting the root problem that he doesn't listen to us the first time we ask. So I've hit the Positive Discipline book again. I started reading it when Myles first started throwing tantrums and found he was a little too young for me to adopt many of its practices. At that age, only distraction was appropriate. But these days, Myles is clearly smarter and learning to manipulate. He's also pushing his boundaries more and more each day. As we observe his frustration at times, we realize we are simply not doing things the right way and something needs to change.

So while I am not a reader (I hate reading, actually), I will be reading this book in record time, hoping to bring Myles up in a loving, respectful environment...with limits.

If anyone else has any thoughts, suggestions or other good reads, please let me know. This is a difficult process, but a critical one. Myles' future depends on it.