I'll Take Them All, Thanks

It's a pretty common conception that, as parents, we should choose our battles when it comes to butting heads with our small children.  The logic being, I guess, to not sweat the little things and simply concentrate on the bigger behavioral issues as they come up, therefore, creating less stress and turmoil while still providing some parental guidance.  Alright, I get it.  But recently, I've been taking the gloves off more frequently to the point that I'm pretty much choosing every battle.  All those little ones we let slide by in the past are beginning to bite us in the ass and I'm ready to go on the offensive now to bring our little free-range daughter back to the coop.

We're not spankers.  Sometimes I wish we were.  If ever there was a child who could use a swat on the butt, our daughter is one. However, we choose not to.  Instead, we use timeouts on a beanbag (thanks Super Nanny!) in the corner behind a partition that kind of creates a little timeout zone, so to speak.  She hates being there and it has served its purpose for the major behavioral stuff.  However, we used to reserve it as the last resort - you know, after several warnings, some hemming and hawing, yada, yada, yada.  Partly because no one likes disciplining their kid, but, to a greater extent, we hesitated banishing her there to avoid the inevitable break down she'd have when she's sent to it. Those break downs are not pretty and we'd sometimes cave in to avoid them.  Not anymore.  The old beanbag is getting a lot of action these days.  And so are our eardrums and nerves.

Now it's one warning and, if it happens again, off she goes.  Yes, the house is full of screams and cries a lot more often these days and that sucks.  But I think we have been too lax in the past and I'm willing to squirmish over the little stuff now to reign her back in.  It's not enjoyable and my willingness to battle isn't simply me trying to excercise my authority.  It's a necessity, I feel.  And I think some new ground rules need to be established even if they only end up being rules of engagement.