Torturing a Tired Kid

Dear Friends and Family,

No. No need to call Child Services. It's not really torture.

P was tired last night and fidgety and didn't want to write the last card for her teacher. I had been bugging her to do them since the weekend, so I didn't have a lot of pity for her last night.

I told her sometimes even when you're tired you still need to do things.

Now you might think this is a cruel and unusual discussion to be having with a three year old, but it's not. Even if she's tired, she still needs to do things. She still needs to have a bath. She still needs to brush her teeth. She still needs to put away her toys. Tired might mean you skip some activities (we only read two books last night instead of three), but it isn't an excuse to not do something you don't want to do.

So, yes, we made her finish her card. We'll let her sleep a little longer this morning. It made for a long night of waiting out the tantrum, but it was worth it. I think it's important to teach her that procrastinating has consequences and being tired isn't an excuse to let something slide past its deadline.

P's three and a half, hurtling towards four. Time to teach life lessons. It's so much easier to spoil a kid and give them everything they ask for and just hug and cuddle them all the time. But, unfortunately, then, your kid grows up to be a monster instead of a well-functioning adult. There's definitely joys to parenting, but make no mistake, there's work involved.

More mail to pick up tonight.


Cheers!
mouse