I mean, they aren’t disobeying, disrespectful, or unkind. However, if I find one more random sock in the couch cushion, toy box, BOOKSHELF, kitchen pantry, etc… I may or may not lose my mind! I want to scream and get in their face and seriously question if they are trying to push me into insanity.
Let’s Try Humor
I forced my typically well behaved little boy to throw his sock on the floor while screaming something similar to, “I’m just trying to annoy my sweet mother. Better yet, I’ll put this in the hamper where it belongs.” I’m a firm believer that repetition is key to success, so he had to do this 20 times in a row.
Maybe It’s Intentional
If you sense that they are truly doing this to defy you, speak to them first to confirm, ask them to work on improving this habit, then plan a time that the entire family will be doing their favorite activity, while “remembering” this offense and giving the same consequence.
Other Bad Habits
You can also try this for whining. When having them repeat, joke and say, “Oh, that’s not loud enough or whiny enough. Please try harder.” Then, there’s nose picking, nail biting, chewing on their hair, spilling something and walking away, self-criticism (have them look in mirror during this one), demanding, looking at screens during conversations, chewing with mouth open, putting empty containers away, wet towels on the floor, leaving the toilet seat up, etc. I found a few of those from https://www.developgoodhabits.com/list-of-bad-habits/ which made me feel convicted about my personal bad habits. 🤦♀️
Coming Our Alive
There are so many things to focus on as a parent, but I truly believe it will be a sock that push us over the edge. If we can improve these incidences with humor, maybe it will feed into our normal discipline and help us survive this most difficult job EVER.
Good luck parents! Remind yourself often of Nehemiah 6.
“I’m doing a great work; I can’t come down.”