Tuesday, November 9, 2010

It All Began with Cookie Monster

Bella tells us now when she wants us to go to her room to play with her. It is very hard to resist, especially when she says "please." Once we're in her room, she points to the exact spot where she wants us to sit. She's even given us the toys we are supposed to play with. We've obliged thinking that it was cute, even when she took a toy away from us and gave us a different one.

She's not really a confrontational girl. In the nursery or at the Play and Learn with Me place, when a kid takes something from her, she finds something else to play with. But at home, it's her territory, her toys, her story...

I was in her room with Brennan, and I picked up Cookie Monster and started moving it in front of Brennan. Bella then decided that she wanted Cookie Monster. I told her "no, Brennan is playing with it." I know Brennan would have never noticed if she took it away from him. He would not be scarred for life. But I also knew that this was a teaching moment.
She pitched a fit. She began the normal routine of hitting things, pouting, and other things that get her put in her bed for timeout. I told her to calm down, and then I tried to get to her to exchange a toy with Brennan. If he could have Elmo, then she could take Cookie Monster. Of course, she wanted Elmo, too. After telling her no, though, she was able to play with Cookie Monster for all of 30 seconds before she moved on to something else.

One thing Lee and I do NOT do with her is say "Mine." We don't say, "My blanket" with her favorite blanket. We don't even say, "Hey, I've got your blanket," in an attempt to make her jealous. We don't fight or argue over things around her or in front of her or with her, even in a playful manner. We want her to share. Now, I don't want her to be taken advantage of. I want her to be able to stand up for herself and say "No, I'm sorry, I had this first." She doesn't not need to be a doormat. But we want her to be generous. We want her to be like Jesus.

2 comments:

  1. I love these teachable moments!
    Now I know not to do that around her either!
    Thanks for sharing Bri!

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  2. Bri, I so agree with you on not making her jealous in playing the "mine" game. Josh and I don't do that either, but it really upsets me when other people do! The first time Kylee said "mine" was from relatives who taught her while babysitting. I know people just want to play, but I wish everyone understood how much damage the "mine" game can cause!

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