I’m a hard ass with the boy. Even my father tells me that I need to loosen up a bit with him but I disagree. There’s no ‘wait till your father gets home’ in this house. I’m good cop and bad cop. I seriously think (and this goes for two-parent families as well) that being a little tougher now will only make the later years of our life a slightly more peaceful haven.
I have a ton to learn about parenting but one thing that I am good with is following through. I don’t make idle threats. But is it ever okay too? On the weekend, Will was still sick so he went three nights without eating dinner (keep in mind my kid has the appetite of a Notre Dame linebacker). Saturday morning he woke up at 2 asking for cereal – against my better judgement, I gave it to him. Now, he’s done every night since. This is a habit I have no interest in. But last night, after half an hour of crying for cereal, I gave in. And I was SO mad at myself after.
We talked about it this morning and I explained that night time was for sleeping and not for eating and that sometimes when you eat in the night your belly hurts and then you can’t sleep well. He said he understood and that he wouldn’t ask for any tonight. I call BS. I can guarantee you that he’ll be up asking and because I gave in last night, it’s only going to be a bigger battle.
So do I leave a bowl of cereal (he doesn’t like milk in it) next to his bed and give up that battle or do I follow through? Are you a follow through’er or a caver??
*Oh and on a sidenote, this morning he asked why his fish poops in his bowl and doesn’t have to use the toilet. I said it was because fish don’t have hands to flush it. At what point do our brains become mush???*
Sleep is precious. I may cave on some issues but not ones that impact sleep. It may be a painful lesson to teach, and a few sleepless nights until he understands that midnight snacking is not an option.
I’m not a hard ass at all. But I wouldn’t give in. I think it was the right move when he was sick and hadn’t eaten. But, when his belly is full, no way.
Oh my…what’s he going to eat as a teen. You are going to need a second mortgage for your grocery bills!!
Stick it out…. Same thing happened with us. Stomach flu all day, couldn’t sleep that night so gave her a snack 2 hours past the usual bedtime cause she was ‘hungry’. What a nightmare for about a week. It is now on the list of her bedtime avoidance tactics (along with: one more hug, it’s too dark, etc) We’ve started offering bedtime snack so there would be no guilt on my part of her ‘starving’ over night. Stay strong!!
I wouldn’t do it. I’m a total hardass with my kids, mostly because I think they need to be able to trust me – all the time, no matter what. And I don’t ever want them to have a reason to question that. Hang in there kiddo. It sucks ass, I know, but it’s so worth it.
yes he needs to learn to sleep at night not eat at night
yup, after eating all that, he can’t be hungry. i’m in the hardass camp myself…
end it now. prepare for a couple of restless nights.
I always say pick your battles. The cereal eating in the middle of the night is one I would be more than willing to fight to win.
Don’t give in. Eventually he will find something new to focus on. Just continue to tell him the reasons why it’s not good. It’ll sink in.
Dude! For dinner last night he had two helpings of turkey and potato and one broccoli….then a popsicle then a box of raspberries….after his after school snack of goldfish.
Give him cereal for dinner….
I think you know which camp I live in… be prepared to wake up at 5 AM for the day for a while though… ack. Hang in there, lady!!