Things to know about children...

1. Children are people. They have wants, desires, emotions and deserve respect. Just because you don't want your 3 year old to hold something, it doesn't mean you snatch it away. You talk about why he shouldn't have it, or why you would really really like him to not have it. This will show and teach him that you respect him and that you expect him to respect you and your things. It also teaches that not all items in your house are his even if they are reachable. 

2. A child's will is not something to be broken, just molded. We must teach and train our children in the way they should go. My son loves tools. Like... REAL tools. He will take an actual drill over a play one any day. Does he do things with it that he shouldn't? Yes. Does this mean I should not let him play with it until he's older? I say, no. To me, this means I take the extra time with him to teach him how to use the drill the correct way and do my best to explain why he shouldn't drill Ariel's belly. 

3. Children cannot be forced to fall asleep. When my kids are not tired... they are not tired. I'm alright with them playing in their beds quietly, but tonight, I could not even keep them in their bed. When you are an adult and you can't sleep, what do you do? Do you force yourself to fall asleep? Well, sometimes you can take drugs like Melatonin or other medicines that help you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Kids, however, cannot. SO what do we do? We like to watch movies. The favorite for both of my kids right now is Wreck-It Ralph. Actually, we all love this movie. (We're watching it right now.)

4. Children are smart. They figure things out fast. And they are the best mirror you can have to see what you look like in different situations.
Lately, Paul has been saying that Ariel is being naughty and spanking her. It's kinda cute, except for that, I was doing that and doing it without talking to him first. So there was a lack of communication. Explaining or even thinking if what he was doing was actually wrong, or if it was something that I just didn't want him doing. 
Also... Ariel can successfully climb out of the pack n play. And the crib. Looks like we are gonna be switching things up around here... New beds for everyone. What's the point of having a crib if they won't stay in it, and could get hurt while climbing out of it?

Love my life!!