Shocking Behavior

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originally uploaded by Pink Sherbet Photography

When it first happens to us, our child's defiance comes as quite a shock. (The Little Boy Book, p 31)

Well it's happened to me. My sweet little baby boy has learned to crawl... and has found his self-will.

 We baby proofed our house, but still have a computer cord running through our living room which is a "no" for Junior. The first time he scooted over to it was innocent. I told him "no" and moved him away. We've done that a few times. He gets it now.

So yesterday when I warned him as he scooted toward the offending cord, I thought he'd find something else to play with. Not so. He looked at me. Looked at the cord. Looked at me. Grabbed for the cord. Yes at 9 months, he willfully defied a known boundary.


So what's a new mommy to do? I gave his hand a smack and told him "no" with a little more force than before. But, I know that we're not exactly done with discipline here. He'll probably do it again. He'll probably come up with other ways to disobey.

My plan is to consistently reinforce the boundaries. The better his Daddy and I do now in his early months, the easier things will be when he turns 2 and really starts to test the limits.

RESOURCES
The Little Boy Book: A Guide to the First Eight Years
Boundaries with Kids