Let the Battle Begin

    Stare down!  Remie, my 16 month old, fixed his big, blue eyes on mine and the stare down ensued!  He held the animal cracker up by his head, arm cocked, ready to throw again.  "No, no." A glint of mischief shimmered through his baby blues, and you could almost hear the thoughts turning through his mind.  Then, the cracker flew through the air, and he giggled.  As tempting as it was to smile, because, let's face it, he's cute, I kept my expression serious, and smacked his hand, "No, don't throw food!"  The giggle stopped abruptly, and instead, a piercing shriek of a cry came out.  He was mad, and he picked up yet another cracker.  Our eyes locked again, another round of "No, no." and then the wait.... who would win this battle?  I knew I'd win the war, because it is my job to win these wars, but how many battles would have to be fought first? How many animal crackers would have to be sacrificed for the cause? Ha ha ha.  So, we went a number of rounds, and finally, he put the animal cracker on the tray instead of throwing it.  Victory!  Until today, when he threw veggies all over the floor at lunch time.  So, another battle, followed by him picking up the ones off the floor.  Such is the life with a toddler.  The only way to win the battle is consistency.  I have to tell the other kids not to laugh when he does it, to not encourage it, and I can't just "pick my battles" with that, because if I let him get away with it once, I can kiss any progress goodbye.  It is a constant "on" if I want to teach him to change his behavior.  Its for his good, though, and that motivates me to stay on it.  The same is true with so many issues; staying in their seat in a restaurant, not running or yelling in the store, etc.   Is it tiresome? Absolutely.  Is it worth it? Most definitely! It may take a few weeks, months, or years, but when someone comes up to you and compliments you on their behavior, it is the equivalent of a million "Good jobs!".