Troy has always been an easy going child. When he was a baby we would say “Don’t touch” once and that was it, we never put locks on cabinets or the refrigerator, he never touched the stereo or computer. I can count the number of times he has been put on time out, on long flights he is a good boy.
A few months ago we noticed bad words in his vocabulary (granted they usually surfaced after a fishing trip with Daddy and his buddies, but I won’t get onto that). It was also the start of preschool where, as Troy told me, a few kids think saying “potty words” is funny. We told him that he is going to hear all sorts of things, some are words kids use but shouldn’t, some are words adults use but shouldn’t. This talk seemed to help, until he started making up songs with the words in it, or finding rhyming patterns! Realizing the talk did not help, I decided to use the time proven method of “If I hear you say a bad word I am going to put hot sauce in your mouth!” Before I could even go into the kitchen tears swelled up in his eyes and I felt I found the right consequence. Just the idea of this consequence was enough that we never even had to use it. Not once did we put hot sauce in his mouth. Two points for mommy!
Fast forward a few months. Over the past 5 days Troy has started to hit us. Arms elongated, at the simplest request–wash your hands, wear your sandals, play with your toys and stop asking to go fishing–it is like helicopter propellers aiming for our legs, back, face, arms.
Tonight at the dinner table we told him “Hitting your parents is as disrespectful as using bad words, if not worse.” His reaction was….to start hitting Daddy. So I pitched in “Well then your punishment will be the same” and reached for the hot sauce at the dinner table.
And guess what, our 4 year old son gives me a big smile and says “I love hot sauce.” He proceeds to open the bottle himself and put a few drops on his finger and put it in his mouth!! Next thing I know he is rubbing his tummy and saying “Yummy hot sauce!”
What else can two parents who love their son do? We start to laugh and say “What are we going to do with you?”
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This was so sweet and funny! He is an adorable kid and intelligent too. I really wanna see his face when the twins come. Seems mamacookita’a blog will be more crowded and fun! Miss you all & kisses!