Changing your parenting style...

[Arimeh]

Thanks Rach. Its hard to know if what you are doing is going to lead to counselling down the track or not!!! haha!!!!
You are lucky - mine has always been a huge crier and always drove me insane with his screaming. I think he's just put here to drive me crazy!!!!! He fell back asleep now - on and off whinging for about 10 minutes - but if he is asleep, then I'm happy...
Tell ya what, I never realised how little patience I actually had until I had a child. I thought I was a more laid back kinda person (and I am with everything else in life) but he just pushes the wrong buttons I think!!!!! I am trying to be a little more laid back and not care if he gets the soy sauce out of the cupboard and pretends to drink it, or puts all the cans and stuff out of the cupboard onto the floor, I'm looking past that, because he is entertaining himself, and thats huge.
But still don't know if I'm looking at this the right way, or if I'm totally off track and going to screw him up!!! Or screw up the next one!! argghhhh....

[Jennifer13]

Mel, I'm sure most mothers have been in your position and at least FELT like throwing the toy even if they didn't do it!

What I find works for Lucy is to be really excited about whatever it is I am trying to do to distract her. Rather than say, get out of there, stop that, give her an exciting alternative. I've always found 'No' less effective. So I say 'Let's read a book/Oh, can you see the birds outside/whatever' in a really excited tone of voice and jump up and down about it a bit myself. I felt like a bit of a goose the first couple of times but littlies seem to respond to big gestures much better.

At Aricyn's age I would think that distraction is probably more effective than trying intense discipline. Everything is over so quickly when you're his age!