The Day that We Turned Off the Tv

I admit, I am a tv junkie. I love movies, and I have several favorite shows that I tivo and watch when M is sleeping. I also enjoy a warm cup of coffee and the morning news. As M has grown from a small unassuming baby into a wild and energetic toddler, she has payed more attention to tv than I thought was possible. As she grew and became more aware of her world, she noticed the tv and it's entrancing glow, so I made a compromise. If she was going to watch the images that were on the tv screen, I would make sure they were age appropriate. So she started watching Nickelodeon. Every time she zoned out watching Dora or Yo Gabba Gabba (which I love, for the record) I always felt a little guilty. Now I should state for the record that I NEVER let her watch tv all day long - EVER. But when she started asking to watch tv when it was off, I got anxious.

The other day, I was reading a post by another blogger about her children's lack of tv watching. Inspired, I decided to go a full day with no tv. At all. Really it wasn't that bad. M was entirely willing to be a child and entertain herself. Lordy that girl has an active spirit. She played outside almost all day, and when she was inside, she colored, read books (well sorta...she pretended to) and played with her toys. We even had some extra cuddle time, which for me was especially nice.

As I strive to practice Attachment Parenting techniques, it is always rewarding when M is more affectionate and more willing to listen to me rather than be a typical toddler and rebel. Today, she was an angel. And that is something special for a child her age. Instead of spending the day trying to get her to listen and behave, or seeing her with a glazed look on her face; I saw a child being a child and I couldn't have been happier. Despite the fact that my house looked like a war zone.

Now I'm not saying that our tv will stay off (I am watching Futurama now :D), but I know that M doesn't need it and I can survive the day with out it distracting her.

Year(s) of the Tantrum

So my sweet little girl is quickly creeping up on the dreaded "terrible two's." In less than 4 months she will be two years old and already the tantrum gauge is starting to peak. In my efforts to practice positive discipline, I have been trying to talk her down so to speak. Help her work through the outbursts and solve the root cause; instead of punishing her for bad behavior. 90% of the time it works. I can somehow manage to talk her through the problem and avoid meltdowns. Until last night...

-insert dramatic themed music here-

After a long, hot exhausting day with mommy and daddy flying kites, Miss M was beyond the sleepy point and broke down after a failed attempt to go potty. She screamed and cried and SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

Do you know how hard it is to stifle your gut reaction to curse/yell/scream when you have been slapped? Very. Very. Hard. Even though I choked down the anger welling up in my throat, she saw it in my face and immediately started wailing (even harder).

I don't ever want to lose it. I don't want to scream and yell at her. I don't want her to cry because I have lost my voice berating her because she "misbehaved".

I know how that feels.

Into the Wild - Begining the Journey of Attachment Parenting

M is 18 months now and the tantrum level is steadily increasing. She is a very independent and strong willed toddler and has the attitude of "I do what I want, and I do it my way." I was having a conversation with my mother about it one day, and her suggestion was to put her in time out. My mouth practically hit the floor. How could I possibly explain to M why and what I was doing? She can barely understand simple commands, and certainly doesn't understand why I tell her no, just that I am not letting her do what she wants to do. It's hard to find the right way to handle the tantrums. I get frustrated after telling her not to climb on chairs 10 times and lose my cool. She, in turn, starts screaming and cursing at me in baby talk because I am limiting her need to explore and climb. So I am trying something different called Attachment Parenting, and will try to document our experiences.


Attachment Parenting is a parenting philosophy based on eight principles that will create a strong and stable bond between parent/s and child. The eight principles are:

- preparing for pregnancy and birth
- feed with love and respect
- respong with sensitivity
- use nurturing touch
- ensure safe sleep, physically and emotionally
- provide consistent and loving care
- practice positive discipline
- strive for balance in personal and family life

www.attachmentparenting.org