My "Mommy Memos"

As a Mom, I have always wished that I could read my Mother or Grandma's Journals to see how they dealt with everyday parenting issues. So...I decided to be proactive and write one for my daughter. I thought I would share some of my entries each week in case I can help someone else. Not that I am saying I know it all but it's nice to hear different ideas from different Moms so without further ado, I give you the first shared entry to my "Mommy Memos."

This one is titled, "Block out the Bad, Harness the Good."
Recently, I watched my neighbor interact with her youngest son in a way that was so simple yet effective. She has five kids, all of which are very good kids. She is very laid back and never seems to get upset with her kids.

Her son began throwing a fit and she just turned to us without any fluctuation in her tone of voice and said, “Oh, just ignore him while he throws a fit.” It was ingenious! Even though we were all still present, this little three-year-old boy stopped his fit because it is no fun to throw one without a good audience.

I have been trying this technique with my daughter who is the queen of whining, arguing and fussing and it has been working surprisingly well. I just walk away when she behaves that way or simply tell her that I am going to ignore her (even when I am in the same room) and she stops because it is no fun to argue when no one is arguing back. Kids want attention whether it’s positive or negative. I think that if I were to just try to focus more on her good points and block out the bad ones or ignore them, we will have a more peaceful home.