Patience

I know that I'm supposed to be focussing on the positive and being all sweetness and light and grateful and thankful, and I'll get to that…but first, I need to bitch and moan and make myself feel better.

Yesterday my eldest child broke a window. On purpose. Yep. Wilful destruction of property. Luckily said property was ours, but still. He broke a window simply to see if he could. Oh, and "to let some fresh air in". I was so flabbergasted, and still kind of am, that I'm still unsure as to appropriate consequences. Chuncho was gone until the wee hours, but luckily G$ is here, and he took care of cleaning up all the glass and boarding up the window.

So, was this just one of those things – he needed to test the boundaries of physics just to see? Is it a sign of violent tendencies to come? How uptight ought I to be about this little turn of events?

I haven't fully sussed out the consequences yet, but here is what he already knows: no tv, computer games or wii for at least the rest of this week. No dessert or treats for the rest of this week. Chuncho and I need to sit down and decide the sum total of the consequences, but here's what I've been tossing around:

According to the internets, average replacement cost of a window that size is $300. So, I'm thinking of doing up a schedule of extra chores (over and above his usual clean his room, put away his laundry, dishes challenges) that are worth $ towards replacement of the window. So, say vacuuming the living room would earn $5. Cleaning the bathroom would earn $10. And so on and so forth. So, he has no tv, no computer games, or wii until he has done enough extra chores to pay off the cost of the window. Is that too harsh for a 5-year old? Fuck, sometimes I'd like a manual please.

Add to that this morning when, first thing I hear out of bed, pre-tea (and tea is one of the things I am grateful for, don't let me forget to tell you about it), he's using this horrid noisemaker thing that one of his grandparents gave him (because they hate me, obviously), so I ask him to stop because it is too loud for this early in the morning (especially pre-tea!). So, he goes into his room and puts it away. Next thing I know, he's got his maracas (again, a gift from the grandparents) out, and he's shaking them like nobody's business. By this time, I'm sure I'm shooting daggers out of my eyeballs, but I am trying desperately to stay calm, not get mad, not yell, and practice Cesar Millan's calm assertiveness. I figure if it works for dogs, maybe it can work for kids too. And it's definitely in everyone's best interest to remain as calm as possible. Last, but certainly not least, I hear the little bugger playing his freaking recorder (this one a gift from my aunt…obviously my family is out to drive me insane). At this point in time, I put out an all points bulletin to all of my facebook friends in search of some patience. While I may not have found any, I did find some solace in knowing that my friends often find themselves in short supply of this important resource, too, and that I am not alone.

Ok, big sigh out. Complaining finished.

Two things of note to be thankful for:

1. Double bergamot earl grey tea – yum! My favourite part about earl grey tea, and now more of it in a single tea bag! Thank-you kind people at Stash!
   

   
    

2. And this is a biggee – SLEEP! I have been sleep training the Brumby in his own crib, and after nearly two weeks, I think it is paying off. For the past three nights, he has slept on his own for no less than 10 hours straight! There have been a few wake up and fuss for a minute or two interludes, but overall, it's going very well. The pain and suffering of last week seems to be paying off, knock on wood. The actual going to sleep process seems to be getting easier as well. Last night when I put him to bed, he just went to sleep. No crying, no fussing, just the recognition of the fact that he was tired, and the tools in place to help himself to fall asleep on his own! Now that is definitely something to be thankful for! A baby that can fall asleep on his own and stay asleep all night. Sweetman didn't sleep the night till he was well over two years old.
   

   
    

And, in celebration of successful sleep training, I am going out tonight to a fundraiser for the SPCA will my friend Blackie. It is a tacky animal art silent auction. I hope to return home with at least one item that will make Chuncho roll his eyes.