[blparent] blparent Digest, Vol 92, Issue 35

[Jennifer Bose]

Hi, Nikki.

I agree with Veronica here. Now granted, my daughter isn't six yet,
but I was around my stepdaughter a lot when she was six, seven and
eight. I suspect Veronica's got good advice about attending your son's
class and trying to see what might be going on. If there's a counselor
at school you and your son could go to, that might also be a good
idea. In order to listen to you, he needs to know that you're
basically a calm but firm parent, not one who just loses control,
calls him a brat and wants to spank him or wash his mouth out. (Maybe
you were just letting steam off on the list). Anyway, if you're angry
and losing control, he'll probably be angry too.

A thought about punishment: What about leaving all his toys in the
room and taking them away or giving them back as his card colors get
worse or better. Maybe starting from a positive place rather than a
negative one might help him to see that if he's good, you're perfectly
happy to let him have all his toys, but that bad behavior will mean
removal of a toy.

Jen