Into The Naughty Room

I finally had to do it today - and I can't believe how rotten it made me feel.

It started with Beth insisting on using my laptop to watch her Wiggles DVD when I'd repeatedly told her she could use the portable DVD player. Her reason? "I don't like the DVD player," she wailed.

It got so bad (she really is one stubborn, feisty 5 y.o.) she was actually wrestling me for the laptop, pushing me off the chair, making a grab for the tablecloth. I explained to her it was wrong to insist on having her way at all costs and that she had to wait if she wanted to use my laptop, and gave her a first warning. If she disobeyed, she would have to go straight to the Naughty Room.

She fought me all the way down the hallway to the NR, thinking it was a game - she was giggling and resisting me fiercely and trying to barge/wriggle past. We played Dodge'em for 2 minutes before I bodily lifted her 20 kg frame (while worrying I might injure her) and deposited her on the carpet of the NR, and told her she was to stay there for 5 mins. Then I shut the door.

After 3 mins I heard the door open and there she was coming towards me.

"I'm hungry," she sobbed piteously. "I need to eat something."

I told her there were 2 mins left to go and placed her back in the room.

It was heartrending & gut wrenching to hear her cry but she has to learn that when Mummy says NO she means NO and it's not a game. This is one of the hardest things about being a parent and certainly one of the things I hate most. That unbending will of hers needs to be broken and channelled in more positive directions before she turns into a real brat.

OK, 2 mins up. No sound from the NR. Mummy's off to extract the required apology and soothe/feed her precious now.

Afternote:
It's incredible how quickly kids forget. So much for fearing she would be traumatized. After apologizing to Mummy for her misconduct, she was back to her sweet self for pretty much most of the afternoon...until bath time, which is another story.