For when aurelia is around -- if it actually is in the 20s tomorrow and not a total snowpocalypse, what do you think about Singha for dinner? Or we could do Mexican again.

Eve is still not very well able to deal with either punishments or future rewards, and she's nearly 4.5. We don't, frankly, have a very good technique for her, aside from giving lots of attention even when she is at her worst (especially when she is at her worst).

Both my kids went through a phase of hitting themselves when thwarted at about 18 months (Peter is still there, but then than a few weeks ago). Interesting that it's a persisting thing with Eth kids.

Either is good with me. Is Singha enough of a lunch standby for you that you'd rather go for Mexican?

I think, but am not sure, that they did this routine with D for a while before it was actually effective. I don't know. If it was something born out of daycare, it probably started 2 years ago. But it may not have. All I know is that the big rewards have been power rangers and optimus prime, not wiggles stuff, which was the twos.

I only get Singha once a week at most, so I'm still quite happy to go there. It also tends to be really dead in the evening. But Mexican has margaritas, so...

The whole discipline/consequences thing is fascinating to me. I've always been mostly a "whatever works" type caregiver (er, absent spanking or being cruel or demeaning. Not conflating the two. I just can't do those. ) Some kids, denial of reaction works great to keep them from feeding the monster. Others, you need to get in their face to make them focus. Some are swayed by a threat, some by a goal.

I've had to whipsaw between all sorts of methods in one family.

I miss nannying.

Lillian started hitting and biting herself at about two and a half. It's hard to deal with, and the closer she gets to three, the more hair trigger her temper is. I'm told this is a known issue with toddlers.

I've started to try watch-and-wait when she starts to flip like a mammal, and it seems to be working, knock wood.

My mom said it wasn't the terrible twos, it was the evil threes. I was a demon child then. Apparently, my behavior at 12 was similar...

Mexican sounds good to me (Is the name Cocina Barro?). I'll probably get out of here sometime around 5:15-5:30. Want to meet at the restaurant?

I just get so fed up with whining. She can completely outlast all my resolutions to ignore it and wait her out. She is extremely strong-willed, but at the same time really vulnerable and, you know, four.

Three for us was a lot of deliberate rudeness and sassiness. It was sort of a preview of the teenage years, I suspect (woe). That part is mostly gone now.