After another night of ignoring, hitting, and name-calling (the kiddo to me, not the other way around, thankfully) and a morning with even more of the same, I’m lost again. Serious anger is roiling around inside my son. His cold fury manifests as prickling hands and words. He seeks to needle. He seeks split the seams and set fire.
I recognize my tendency to respond to my son’s daggers with my own verbal stabs. I roar. I exert dominance.
These choices escalate the war.
Recovering from a recent hellish family trip to California, I posted this:
Bug’s had nine years to become the person he is. I’ve had 42. If I hope to cultivate healthier ways of being in our family, I’ll need to do it one itty-bitty step at a time.
I’m trying this now. Seeking out and attempting tiny new approaches. Even if I have no idea what or why or how, I’m trying something.
In the spirit of taking tiny steps, I choose this morning to read about natural and logical consequences.
From Alyson Schafer, “Positive Discipline: Signs your ‘Consequences’ are Punishments in Disguise” in the Huffington Post:
A logical consequence must include three distinct qualities, and if any one is missing, it’s a punishment.
1) Related
The consequence must be directly related to the child’s behaviour. This is what makes it logical. Most importantly, the child must be able to see the connection. For example, if you don’t put your clothes in the laundry hamper, a logical outcome is that your clothes won’t get washed when it’s time to do the laundry. If you tell that same child that they won’t get screen time — one of our favorite things to confiscate — if they don’t put their clothes in the hamper, the child’s perception is that their parents are using their personal power to be mean and make them pay for their mistakes.2) Respectful
Anytime you show a child disrespect, you are being punitive. (Quick test: Would you speak the same words to a friend or a coworker? If not, chances are it’s disrespectful.)3) Revealed in advance
The child must be given all the information up front so they can make clear choices in their behaviour. For example: “If you would like to eat, you need to stay at the table. If you get down from the table, you are excusing yourself and we’ll accept your choice and see you at the next meal. Please know there will be no food until that time, so when you get down, you’re done.”In short: “Stay and eat or get down and wait until the next meal to eat — your choice.” But parents must be sure to actually follow through with implementing the consequence. Too frequently we simply threaten the consequence and the child fails to learn.
Photo from The Good Men Project
Shannon E. Williams 
I think nature makes him push so he can find where the boundaries are. Still, it’s not easy. You’re a good mother but it’s not an easy job.
Thank you. He does love clawing around for those boundaries and then seeing if they pop.
Schafer is absolutely correct
BUT
there is also a need for children to understand that their behaviour (the good, the less-good and the unacceptable) also impact on people’s emotions.
So, every now and then being a parent also means finding the balance between the colder, analytical response and the instinctive one.
Preaching over: you’re doing a fine job.
sounds a bit too reasonable, good to teach some reasoning skills but I wouldn’t shy away from the authority of just being the parent, not all things are up for negotiation if ya know what I’m saying, deep breathes…
Authority I’ve got. Breaths… now those are harder to come by. Working on it.