Raising Children

[Sunny]

With 5 children, I'm sure you have some advice for us...what's your best parenting intervention?

[Henry Hawk]

With 5 children, I'm sure you have some advice for us...what's your best parenting intervention?

I spend as much time with them as I can....even if it's watching TV or Workin in the yard or cleanin house....we always have a good time...and got to have a sence of humor...

[Sunny]

[~Daisy~]

Mine are actually getting better about cleaning their rooms. Its a miracle!

[Sunny]

See, mine never go in their rooms...they play in our Great room and FL room (all combined) where we are all day.  So, we have to play the 'clean up game' every night. 

[SoccerMom]

My son is the same way....he spends 99% of his time in our family room, very rarely in his bedroom. His one habit that drives me crazy is leaving fruit snack wrappers, empty juiceboxes, etc. lying around all over the room. I have asked, begged, cajoled, threatened, you name it....I finally told him he'll have to eat all snacks in the kitchen from now on. That went over like a ton of bricks.... 

Tell me more about this "clean up game" 

[Sunny]

We sing the 'clean up' song and all take turns putting toys in their toy boxes. It's a lot of fun...sometimes we put music on & dance while we do this bizarre ritual! I think we learned the song from Barney.

[Sunny]

I don't think it would work for your son, but here are a few clean-up songs - maybe you could substitute his favorite song while he cleans his room?:

Let's Clean Up
To the tune of
"Farmer In the Dell"

Let's clean up today
Let's clean up today
We've had our fun
Our day is done.
So, let's clean up today.

It's Time To Cleanup
(Tune:  Frere Jacques)

Are you helping,
are you helping
Pick up toys, Pick up toys
Let us all be helpers,
Let us all be helpers.
Girls and boys, girls and boys.

Clean-up Song
Improvise a tune

Clean-up, clean-up
Everybody get some toys.
Clean-up, clean-up
All the little girls and boys.
Clean-up, clean-up
Everybody do your share.
Clean-up, clean-up
Everybody, everywhere.

[SoccerMom]

Now see, I LOVE that!! He loves to sing and dance, so this would be an awesome way to make cleaning up more fun. Considering his favorite song right now is "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Motley Crue (DON'T ASK  ), I could do something like:

Toys, Toys, Toys
On the coffee table and the floor
Toys, Toys, Toys
Let's pick them up til we can see no more

[Sunny]

Good deal! I bet it might work!  We just got done singing before naptime! There's another song on Noggin -- Jack's Big Music Show.

Clean it up, Clean it up
You can make it fun to do
And your friends can help you to
Clean it up, Clean it up
And out it away, Put it away
Put your things away.

Clean it up, Clean it up
You can make it fun to do
And your friends can help you to
Clean it up, Clean it up
And Put it away, Put it away
Put your things away.


Clean it up, Clean it up
You can make it fun to do
Mom and Dad can help you to
Clean it up, Clean it up
And Put it away, Put it away
Put your things away
Put it away, Put it away
Put your things away.

[kerrybeth]

I believe in taking privliges away. i.e. I tell my daughter I won't rock her to sleep if she misbehaves.

[Sunny]

How old is your daughter, Kerrybeth?

[kerrybeth]

She just turned seven. She still loves to be rocked to sleep. I rock her and my husband carries her to bed.

[Sunny]

Thanks for sharing!

I rocked my oldest to sleep for every nap & bedtime until she was 18 months-old...then SHE started refusing them. My youngest never liked to be rocked. 

So, not allowing a favorite cartoon to be watched is about the only privilege at this point we have to work with. But, Time Out works very well still.

[Sandy Eggo]

My youngest never liked it either. In fact, she hated (still hates) going to bed at night so much that any routine was near impossible, because she knew what was coming. Generally, I read with her and if she's feeling "babyish" then I sing her a couple songs. I only know nursery rhymes and made up jingles so it's not high quality singing.LOL To her it is though.

It seems to me that taking something away from your child, like being rocked to sleep, is almost like withdrawing yourself from the child and could be perceived to be withdrawing love.  Just a thought. I always make sure that once the matter is "settled" - - meaning discussed and punishment assigned that I give them a hug and/or kiss and tell them I love them. They don't want it, because they're mad, but I want the message to get through to them that I disapprove of "the behavior" but nothing changes the way I feel about them.