::seething fury::
Apr. 29th, 2007 09:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojABSOLUTE SILENCE UNTIL 10:00
NO EXCEPTIONS
IF YOU WAKE US UP, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE, BUT IT WILL BE VERY, VERY, VERY SERIOUS!!
***
Like just about every parent in the world, I think, we have had problems with the kids waking us up too early in the morning for years. For the first six years or so (ie, until our youngest turned 3) we normally just had one parent (mostly me) wake up to be with the kids so that the other parent could sleep in.
In the last few years, we've had morning privileges in place to encourage them to let us sleep on weekend mornings. They get to watch TV and play computer games on Chris' laptop. Since they normally don't get to do either, it's a real treat for them and keeps them away from us. Every few months one of them (usually Justin) is too loud or one of them (usually Daniel) comes to wake us up for something that isn't an emergency (eg, the laptop isn't working) and gets in big, big trouble. Privileges are taken away - eg no laptop at all this weekend, no TV for two days. We go over the rules and the reason behind them (mostly that I'm an extremely light sleeper and the smallest noise wakes me up for good) and the behaviour goes away until the next time.
For some reason that must have something to do with the fact that the universe hates me, in the last few weeks Daniel has been coming upstairs to wake us up over nothing at all. The TV isn't working. Justin's bugging him. Where's the oatmeal?
We've had longer and longer talks. We've taken away more and more privileges. We've stressed the importance of letting us (ie, me) sleep during exam/essay time. We've pointed out that the courses I take cost somewhere between $700-800 each, and will help determine what kind of job I can get once I'm done. We've become vague in our threatened punishments, stating that they will have to be worked out on a case by case basis and will involve more than just a two-day ban on a few privileges, because this is really, really, really important and he really, really, really needs to get that.
My 100% paper is due tomorrow. The gruntwork is done. It's mostly written; now I need to go through for grammar, spelling, and flow, and make it sound pretty.
I went to bed at 4AM last night, because I was determined to finish the first draft so that I would only have to work on the nebulous "stylistic feel" part of it today. I figured I would sleep about 6-7 hours and wake up ready to devote all my mental energies to verbal prettiness.
This morning, at 8:30AM, Daniel popped into our bedroom and trilled "It's 8:30, I really think you should be awake now!"
Hence the sign above, which has been printed off and taped to our bedroom door, his bedroom door, and his wall. He has also lost all computer and TV privileges for one month.
We have also pointed out that although our rule has always been "No waking us up unless it's an emergency", the rule has now been changed for Daniel. It is no NO WAKING US UP, EVER. We have left Justin in charge of deciding whether or not something is an emergency, because although he is 7 and Daniel is 10, we trust his judgment far, far more than we trust Daniel's. So unless his little brother says so, Daniel is barred from going anywhere near us in the morning.
I am so damned tired and slow right now. I'm guzzling caffeine desperately, but my mental faculties are not what they should be and I'm too angry at Daniel to be able to focus properly. If I believed in corporal punishment, I would've used a belt so hard he wouldn't be able to sit for a month. Hell, I'm even wondering if this might not be a good time to rethink my whole anti-corporal-punishment parenting belief - or at least set it aside for five minutes.
No, I'm not actually serious about that last. I did make him cry, though, and right now I don't feel terribly guilty about doing so. I might, later. I might not.
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-29 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-30 03:12 am (UTC)Ah, yeah see I've done both and sick baby = far worse than all-nighter.
and I do have to try to be a reasonable human being (and finish this fundraiser stuff). Anyhow, we finally have gotten Zack (5) to leave us alone until 7am. Sometimes he even stays away until 7:05!
Thank god for small miracles :)
Justin's always been much better at letting us be. Daniel's extremely high-needs, low impulse control, but I really thought he'd outgrown this kind of thing by now.
I was really hoping it was going to get better!
It does, it's just really discouraging when they backslide, because you really think they're done with a particular annoying behaviour, heave a huge sigh of relief... and then boom, there it is again.
And I hope you don't feel guilty. It doesn't hurt for them to know when they've crossed the line!
Yeah, I think it was OK. I was a bit more cutting than I usually am, but not deliberately cruel. And frankly, I think he had earned himself a few tears over this; maybe they'll help him remember to use his head and think of the consequences next time.
I can always dream ;)