View Single Post
Old 12-09-2007, 12:37 PM   #4 (permalink)
snowy
Kick Ass Kunoichi
 
snowy's Avatar
 
Location: Oregon
Quote:
Originally Posted by jewels443
Girls mature early these days, and rebellion is a natural part of this. Hormones, ya know? Keep doing what you're doing. Eventually, she will outgrow the "world revolves around me" syndrome and the things you've repeated to her will sink in.

Be patient and tolerant, tough and loving. Most of all, be consistent.

This, too, shall pass.
Consistency is key. Parents are horribly inconsistent.

This is why, as a childcare worker, I subscribe to the KISS philosophy: Keep It Simple, Stupid. If you keep the rules simple and basic, they are easier to follow, for both parties.

I constantly review the rules with the kids I care for, at least once a month, so I know that they're clear on what my expectations of them are, and what their expectations of me are. '

It sounds like your daughter is breaking two of my key rules--be polite and be respectful. Being respectful means listening to your elders and doing what you are told. I see not listening as a safety issue, and I emphasize this to my kids regularly--how can I guarantee their safety outside of the house if they don't listen to me in the house, because they're showing me they won't listen when we're in situations with potential dangers. They know, very clearly, that if a caretaker (we define this person as parent, teacher, childcare worker) tells them to do something, they should do it, because generally that person is looking out for their safety.

You need to outline your expectations of her and the consequences if she fails to meet those expectations. You are not her friend--you are her parent, and you need to step up into that role. Sometimes that means being mean. I get that from my kids once in a while, but I know my job is to keep them safe, appropriate, polite, and respectful, and in order to do that, sometimes I have to punish them. They know if they do not share with one another, they will lose the toy they are fighting over. They know if they break a rule or defy me, they will end up in time out. They know if they use a toy to hurt anyone, they will lose it. While your daughter is older, there still need to be clear consequences. Her not listening IS a safety issue, and you should make it obvious to her that not listening has consequences, such as not being allowed to leave the house to participate in social activities, because if she doesn't listen, you can't guarantee her safety.

Clear rules, clear consequences, and consistency--and above all else, KISS.
__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
snowy is offline  
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360