Pages

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

All in a Wednesday

Did that really happen?

This morning was so glorious that I decided to take C Monster out to the playground instead of staying home and taking care of some tasks. He loves going to the park; he loves playing with the other kids; he loves the slides; he loves the swings; he loves the sand box - the only part he does not love us leaving.

When we were at the park a dad I know was there with his twins ( they are close to C Monster in age ) We were chatting all while keeping an eye one our kids when suddenly one of his boys (twin A) fell and started to cry; at the same time a group from a kindergarten was getting ready to leave when one of the women watching the group opened the gate twin B took a run for it. I had my back turned and did not really see what happened but the dad yelled at his boy to stop (all while trying to console the other one) twin B did not stop. I quickly asked him is that your son and said I'll go get him - and promptly retrieved him. My problem with this situation is that the 3 women that work the kindergarten did not notice a 2 year old walking threw the gate they were holding open without an adult - or worst they did notice and did noting about it.

Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking.

Rewards

I made a sicker reward sheet for C Monster last week. We wanted to find a way that he could see his good behavior to encourage it more often. He gets a sticker for the following things: brushing his teeth, trying a new food, taking his vitamins, tidying up, sitting on the potty - or anything else that he did that was extra helpful or special. I have not yet decided if it is working to entice him to do these things but it's not hurting and well he loves getting a sticker.

To make the sheet toddler friendly I made a large grid - one square for one sticker. I also made some rows and at the beginning of each row is an image of the task he needs to do to get a sticker. Last but not least I print them on old paper that has already one side used.

Science Center

Once again we made it to the Science Center today here is little clip of my favorite moment - C Monster practicing his motorcycle stunts.



C Monster Space - Living Room

We have a small house it's probably around 13' wide by 28' long - I am not kidding. Needless to say we do not have enough room to designate an area for C Monster alone - so his space is our space and we need to make it work that way. The biggest challenge is to keep the space clean that is were lots of storage bins come in play. As you can see these are the same bins that are in his bedroom that way I can easily rotate around his toys.

That being said he does have corners that are his in all our rooms. I have an old little table and chair set up beside our couch - I use this space to set up different activities for him. One day it might be puzzles the other crayons and a book or his abacus. The table and chair itself have history. My mother got the set plus one more chair from an old school in Moncton that was closing down (needless to say it is extra sturdy) the set was my sisters first; then passed down to me. My dad refinished the table and one chair (not the one in this picture). My mother kept the table all this time; the missing chair is at my sisters (she refuses to part with it) and the little white chair that is in the picture was my grandmothers chair for many years. My grandmother was a very petite lady and disliked all the chairs in her home because her feet could not reach the ground however this small child's chair was perfect for her. When she passed away last year we took the chair home with us - above the table is a painting of my grandmother this way she is always watching over C Monster while he plays in the living room.


I need to rant

Ok so an idiot cut me off today and I almost crashed into him - license plate BJBE 057. I was making a right hand turn unto Greenwood and well they decided to make a right hand turn from the middle lane right in front of me. I was frustrated - C Monster on the other hand though it was funny that mommy honked the horn and wanted to do it again.

Looking Forward To

Tea with my friends tomorrow and Grandmama visit on Friday.


6 comments:

Laura Szamreta said...

Shocking story re: the playground! It just goes to show you how quickly something can go horribly wrong. Good thing you were there to help the other parent out!

I always wonder about material rewards ... they seem like a fun way to motivate little ones to participate in activities/tasks that they might otherwise avoid, but I wonder if there is a risk there. Rather than simply motivating C to do things a) because you asked/expect it of him or b) because of some sort of intrinsic motivation or sense of satisfaction, do you think he now may expect to be rewarded more often, and with more than just a "thank-you"? Some of the things you listed that he might get a reward for are not really "special or helpful". (Well, except that he is a toddler and they are new to him and maybe not his first choice of things to do!) They're things that you are teaching him to do because they are part of being a functioning person... (e.g. brushing his teeth). Wondering what your experience is so far, and if you see signs of him "expecting" rewards. Do you think that after a behaviour becomes habit or ingrained that you will be able to stop rewarding it with a sticker, etc? (For example, tooth-brushing.)

Then again, maybe I'm just jealous and wish someone would give ME stickers as I go about my day. :)

I like the addition of the things you are looking forward to at the end of each post. I think it makes a nice positive ending to each entry!

Laura from ESI

Geoffrey Wiseman said...

I agree that it can potentially be an issue to involve rewards -- wait, what does the company you work for do again?

In C's case in particular, we basically have the reverse problem. Stickers are not a sufficient bribe to overcome the natural inclination. If he doesn't want one of us to brush his teeth, a sticker will not convince him otherwise. He likes the stickers, but not enough to overcome his own will on the subject. And, so far, if you fail to mention the sticker, he doesn't seem to expect it.

Laura Szamreta said...

interesting re: C. I think I kind of like that his will to brush or not brush overrides his desire for stickers. :) But as you know I'm a bit of a badass. haha.

Knechtel has been reading some child psychology books (Nutureshock?) and filling us in at lunch. It got me thinking about all of the different parenting styles/techniques there are out there... hence my curiosity re: rewards.

btw, GW. I've been enjoying checking in with you on Buzz...

Shanilie said...

aww I can imagine he loved going to the park. So ready for nice warm weather.

I am a big fan of the reward system. It is amazing to see the joy children get from getting a sticker.

Geoffrey Wiseman said...

If you watch Buzz closely enough, you might even know when I might be lurking in Guelph. ;)

Pierrette said...

The way I look at it we all get rewards for some stuff we do (don't most of us get pay checks) As time goes what he gets stickers for will change and if I ever feel he gets obsessed with the stickers - well we will review the situation then.

I now just need to figure out what to do when the sheet is full? Do i give him a bigger reward? do I just start a new page and throw that one out? Do I start a new page and let him keep that one?

I will cross that bridge when the sheet is full...