April 7, 2001 - Saturday
Maybe it's because he's in his second year, but Harry has become increasingly reliant on the scream to get either attention or his way. I've noticed that he's more persistent with this on his mother than me, but he'll do it to both of us. We made a conscious decision during the first year of his life to be very responsive, and perhaps we're getting the rebound of that now. But we don't regret it. It seems establishing trust in the first year is most important. Yet, whether or not it has to do with that or that it's just the expected communication method of a one-plus year old toddler, we do now find ourselves at times with a boy capable of becoming quite animated and red faced.

So, yesterday I started a practice of placing Harry on the sofa, alone with himself and his sad, wet face, in what might today be termed a "time out." I'll put him there and move away until he settles down. I know his old daycare provider used to park another of her kids, a particularly whiney one, on the couch there. And, I think Harry saw it and maybe got the message. Of course, in Harry's case, I have little doubt that he is more than likely just working it and, so far anyway, it hasn't taken long for him to pull himself together when no one was listening, at which time I went right to him.

I just there are a lot of teaching methods and opinions on raising kids. Hopefully, we'll not screw him up too much



Comments, opinions?