I have picked my battle and I'm going to win dammit!

[Liz]

DS is currently on his bed screaming coz he's refusing to pick up books off his floor that he ripped off the shelf whilst he was in his room for spitting at me.

ARGH.

I go in there and we have hugs and he calms down and I tell him he has to pick up the books before we can do anything else.

he stands there flapping his arms saying he can't reach them. He finally flips one around and picks it up but then he "can't" put it on the shelf.

So... back into bed until he's ready to pick up the books properly. Even if I offer to help he claims he "can't" do it.

I'm all ready with an activity for the morning (painting some wiggles pictures) but I'll be blowed if I'm gonna bribe him to do absolutely everything!

[Liz]

Holy cow - how long can this go on for?? LOL.

It's just insane.

HELP!!

[Nai]

Sending you mental toughness vibes! I feel your pain!

[*Efjay*]

ahh sounds like Glenn. He is happy to play with EVERYTHING but then its all to hard to put it away.

Go in, pack up all his books & when he can learn to look after them he can have them back. tell him that there are many many many children out there who would love to have just ONE book to read but have none. So untill he can learn to look after them he gets none at all.

I did this with my boys awhile back & it helped.

[Liz]

It's more that he threw them all around the floor in a temper coz I sent him to his room, so he has to pick them up. Don't think he'd care if I packed them away forever heh. If it wasn't the books, it would have been clothes out the drawer.

[Liz]

maybe I should just end it.. put the books away, SHOW him the pictures we were going to paint and tell him why we're no longer going to paint them. He's just upset for the sake of being upset now. It's nuts.

[Liz]

OK.. all is calm. He finally helped me make a big pile of books and helped me put it up on the shelf. Not very neat, but at least picked up!

I've let him have one of the pictures to colour in with textas. No painting today.

OMG. i can't believe how nuts that all got. Was it mean of me to let it go that long??

[Olive]

i think you handled that well!!

[*Efjay*]

not at all, I would have still packed them away. I know you said he has to seems he threw them out in a temper fit but still, its all about respecting the things you have. He may not care but it will still effecthim a little. My boys do they I don't care act all the time. But follow through & they actually do take it in.
Its a working progress in this house. My boys have been getting away with far to much for far to long & its only going to get worse if we don't start following though.

The books are a big deal in our house, no books on the shelf meant no bed time story.