interesting follow up

at some point during the day i'd like to forget (btw-after i posted aidan decided to try peeing on the carpet in the corner of his room. never done that before. it was awesome) i threatened aidan's pacifier if his mood (actions) didn't improve.

this is one of my favorite mom mistakes. threaten with something you really, really don't want to follow through with. how about - no cartoons tonight ... or no books tonight ... or no play time in the bath tonight. there are plenty of things to put out there that i would be happy to follow through with. the binkie, though, is a treasured calming object in this house--for all of us.

i work every day to follow through with my 'promises', both good and bad, so aidan knows i'm serious. so, bedtime comes on the bad day and i'm trying desperately to think how i can get out of taking the binkie away so that i don't have to deal with the tears and probable no sleep until midnight, then waking up at 3am wondering where it is and screaming again ... and on an on and on. my compromise--if you can go to bed and stay in your room to show me that you're a good listener and a big boy, then i'll bring the pacifier in to you in 1/2 hour. wait, wait wait ... "okay, mommy" and hops into bed.

1/2 later i go in (very proud of him for being quiet and staying in bed) to bring him the binkifier and he's passed out on the floor in front of his door--no passie, no blanket. he's NEVER fallen asleep without the pluggifier.

hmmm ... okay, now we might be on to something. next day was school and he happily agreed to only bring his blanket for naptime and to leave his dummy (that's what they call it in australia, i think it's funny) at home. i figured there was no way he'd nap and that he'd probably throw a tantrum. nope, he slept & didn't pitch a fit. okay, now we're really on to something.

SO, to come out of the really yucky awful day, my 3 1/4 year old has now spent three nights and two naps with only his treasured blanket (which i will let him keep until he goes to college).

i realize this was a very long story for really nothing that anyone cares about. i need you to understand what an enormous deal this was though. we fight over that damn pacifier every morning, noon and night. he's constantly trying to sneak back into his room just to suck on it. really, i was harboring resentment toward the plastic and silicone object of aidan's affections.

happy days. (now i need to make sure i hide jack's binkie every day before aidan can get to it!) *sigh*