Mean Mom

There are some days that I feel guilty because I can not wait for Jackson to get on the bus and go to school.  Today is one of those days.  He has been throwing fits the last couple of days whenever I have to redirect him.  It has been a long weekend!  We have been fortunate enough that he hasn't been throwing full-blown tantrums, but wrestling a 4 1/2 year old while your 18 month-old is screaming at you and you are 7 months pregnant isn't always a cakewalk.

I also feel guilty because in our home I get the fun title of "Disciplinarian". Yay!  Which means Matt is always the good guy.  To be honest, there really isn't a lot of discipline in our home because Jackson doesn't understand his wrong actions yet.  In the classes I attend regularly they teach that you use consequences rather than punishments for most situations.  However, Jackson has begun some destructive behaviors which we need to put a stop to right away.  He has been finding pens or crayons around the house (he can reach all the drawers and shelves) and started to write on different surfaces.  So far the casualties have been my rocking chair and a table.  My husband Matt tattles on Jackson and I am the one who has to show Jackson what he has done wrong and put him in timeout.  I think I am going to start insisting we rotate that part, because it is difficult to get upset at Jackson.   

Obviously, this is a huge learning experience for our whole family.  Our family dynamic is going to be very different from most families and we will have to rely on the people we know that are facing the same challenges for their advice.