6. ENCOURAGE
OBEDIENCE
Some days he would complain, "Could you put them away?" I would say, "Let's do it together because I know you want to obey. Look how you are obeying Mommy by making that bed so well." And we would do it together. Eventually he began putting them away himself. I didn't set him up to be disobedient. I built upon his obedience in the bed-making.
I then added putting his dirty clothes in the hamper to his morning chores. One morning when I went into his room, his bed was neatly made, Big Bear snoozing away in the corner, and his jammies were kinda in the drawer (with the little feetie things hanging out, but he had done his best). But the dirty clothes were still on the floor and he was sitting at his little desk area coloring.
I said, "Oops, I think you forgot to get these clothes gathered up and put in the hamper. When you're finished with your project there, please remember to put those clothes in the hamper." Then I went to my younger daughter’s room to check on the progress of her morning room chores.
When I came back to my four-year-old son’s room, his dirty clothes were still on the floor. I said, "Sweetie, remember Mommy's instruction to put your clothes in the hamper." And he burst into tears and started ranting something. I said, "Darlin', you may speak anything you want to me but you may not speak in that tone. Calm down and tell me what's happening."
I held him for a while on his bed, kissing his little head and rubbing his back, and he eventually said, "My no can put clothes in hamper cuz..." and he proceeded to tell me that his underwear had a little mark on it and he didn't want to touch it. I said, "Mommy will put the undies in the hamper and you put away the rest of the clothes." Off he went and did what was asked.
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