Well, we're not going to win any awards for discipline

Will is giving us grief lately and Mike and I are finding we aren't the best at disciplining him. Just don't call DHFS on us after reading this! Man, did Will get a stubborn streak. So he's going through this independent stage that is fine and normal for a three year old but I think he's taking it to the extreme.

First example: We needed to go to the BX (Base exchange...it's like Shopko) to drop off Mike's uniform to get a patch sewn on and dry cleaned. I told Will to go get his shoes and socks. He ignored me. Five minutes later I noticed he hadn't moved from his spot and so I asked him again. Again, he ignored me. I told him Isaac and I were going and Will could come if he wanted. So I went and got Isaac's shoes on and brushed teeth, etc. I got both boy's coats out and put Isaac's on and my own on. Then when Will wasn't looking I put his shoes and socks in the van. I said, "Ok, let's go" and started putting Isaac in the car. Will started freaking out. I can't go...I don't have my shoes on." I told him it was too bad and he needed to get in the car. He was crying and I felt a little bad for making him walk outside in the freezing cold with nothing on his feet. He was instantly relieved when he saw I had his shoes and socks waiting for him. I wish I could say this solved our problem of ignoring me when I tell him to get his shoes and socks on.

Second example: Will has been wetting his pants because he waits to long to go and tells us no when we tell him to go potty. So yesterday he wanted to put this onsie on that snaps and I told him no because he'd wait too long to go potty and then wouldn't be able to unsnap it in time and wet hiself. He was so freakin' insistant. So I said, "Fine but you will need to put them on yourself." I should add that Will is really weird about pj's. He wants to wear them all day long and has to put them on for nap time or quiet time. I think he wears normal clothes only a few short hours in the day. Anyway, it was quiet time and he likes these onsies as pj's so of course he just HAD to have them on. After quiet time I noticed he hadn't put any pants on so I told him he had to put some on over the onsie--it was just too cold to be running around with a onsie. He refused.

Mike happened to come home at this time and told Will not to disobey me and put his pants on. Will stood his ground and started saying, "I'm too little and too sick to put my pants on." So Mike said, "Fine. Then you are too little to stay up. Get in bed and have nap time." I don't think Will thought we were serious because he was like, "Ok" and then Mike turned off the light and Will screamed, "I'm not too little. I'll put my clothes on." So he gets out and the second he gets out says, "I'm too little. I can't do it." So them Mike put him in timeout and Will did the same thing, "I'll put my clothes on now" only to say, "I'm too little" the minute he got out of timeout.

By this time Mike was furious. He said, "It's too cold. Put them on now." Will said, "It's not too cold." So Mike takes Will and the pants and makes him stand outside. It was in the thirties yesterday! Will starts screaming, "It's cold. I want my pants on!" Mike lets him in and the silly boy once again says, "It's not cold. I'm not putting my pants on." What the freak?!! Who is this child?! He gets put outside again and Mike is just standing there saying, "Are you cold yet? Are you going to put your pants on?" Finally, Will decided to listen. He was completely heartbroken that his nice daddy was so mean to him. He ran to me and said, "Daddy scared me!" Then Mike felt terrible and sat with Will forever and told him he was sorry he was so scary and that Will needed to obey us, etc.

So, obviously Mike and I haven't figured out a good way to discipline Will. I'm pretty sure our solution of making Will walk in the cold or stand outside in 30 degree weather isn't the answer. I try to give him choices: you may wear the grey pants or the blue pants. But he seems to have his own agenda that says, "Anything mom wants for me is bad and deserves an immediate, 'no.'" Mike said it is probably just a stage but I disagree. It's not like Will is just starting to show his stubborness. The kid has been stubborn since he came out of me. I've got to find some way to let him have his independence and help him obey us at the same time. Oh, and the picture has nothing to do with the post. I just thought it was a cute picture of him "working" in the garden.