Mr. Negotiator

My son has become quite the little negotiator. When putting him to bed for the night he is always trying to talk us into one more story or just one more minute of cuddles. Everything is a negotiation. Even time-outs seem to be up for discussion. They are not.

My son seems to think that he is calling the shots. He is not.

While I am pleased that my son has great self confidence and believes that he has control over situations, I am exhausted by the constant battle of wills taking place on a constant basis. I know that it is natural for children to test their limits and I know that it is quite common for kids to try and get what they want, but do we really need to discuss EVERYTHING?

My husband and I are talking about trying for baby number three very soon. We both want a third child and feel that the timing is right for our family. I worry about how my oldest will feel about another child coming into the equation. So I tested out the waters with him to see where he was at and was told that I could have another baby IF he could have a pet dog. Seriously…

My mother-in-law calls it the never ending list. Whenever she tries to put him to bed he talks her into doing just one more item on the list… but the list never seems to end. It keeps going and going and going, kind of like the energizer bunny. This is fitting, since my son has an endless supply of energy as well.

My home is not Priceline. Everything is not up for negotiation. Although my son’s name is William, it is not William Shatner. I follow through on everything, rewards as well as consequences. So where does this come from and how do I work with it?

Yes, I said work with it. I don’t want to squash my child’s curiosity or his self confidence. At the same time I do not want feel like every time I want him to do something I have to suit up in full on tactical combat gear.

I would love to hear what you do/did! What works or did not work for you?

Http://MomMart.blogspot.com