9/13/06

Parenting Challenge---Can I stop the Bully?

First, check out the cuteness in this pic!! She is seriously so adorable!!!

Okay, so this post is really an update on yesterday's Mean Girl topic. After talking to several people (friends with kids, family, other parents who went through this, friends with child development degrees), I have come up with a few discipline strategies that could work on my Little Miss Diva. Any thoughts on them? Did they work for you? Did they backfire? Looking for all the advice I can get cause honestly, I have NO clue what I am doing right now!


  1. Continue with the correcting and distracting technique and hope its just a phase that will be outgrown.
  2. Remove her from the situation immediately and, since she cant play nice, have her play alone until she decides she can be nice to her friends (no hitting, pushing, biting, etc).
  3. Each time she hits/bites/pushes, take away her favorite toy for a few minutes.
  4. Reward chart, Supernanny-style.
  5. Setting her up in a situation where she will most likely show these behaviors (we dont see them as often at home as Afghani sees them at daycare) so that she understands Mommy and Daddy wont put up with them either.

Maybe we try all of them. But then I think she would be confused. Can she even understand a Reward Chart? Does she get it that palying alone is punishment? If I take one certain toy all the time, wont she simply find another one she likes to replace it and stop caring about the initial toy?

And now for some humor......................

5 comments:

Bri said...

She really is such a cute little girly girl! Look at that toothy grin! LOVE IT!

I know it's going to be rough going getting it all under control but you're on top of things -

Anonymous said...

I'd venture to guess she may not get the reward chart just yet-but I'd think it wouldn't take long for her to say hey-I did something bad and now I can't play w/ my friends/toy for a few mins...something's up! :) You're a fab mom-just don't forget that no one knows what they're doing :)

Nanny Girl said...

I don't think that taking away her favourite toy is the answer (it wasn't involved in the situation). What you may want to try is having her sit down somewhere as you carry on doing what you were at the time and after a little while ask her why she is sitting on the step and with time she will tell you what she did wrong and then you can tell her what the appropriate thing is to do. Just my thoughts.

Bri said...

We do the correct and distract technique - it works unless she's worked herself into a frothy frenzy. Then we remove her from the situation - usually by making her sit on the stairs or in a chair until she calms down. But we have the what do we do when she spazzes out in public issue...do tell what you do!

Nanny Girl said...

bri - Let her have her temper. By doing that she will see that you are in control and not her. You will just have to accept that people are going to stare and to ignore them. In most cases they have been through the same as you too and will not judge you. Be strong.