I saw my friend Titfer Tat yesterday. She's been a teaching assistant for a year or so now, so I asked her about the boys lack of skills with holding a pen. I put forward the theory that he hasn't yet decided if he's left of right handed. TT said lots of children his age still hadn't decided that, and not to worry, but the thing to do was to offer him a rolled up piece of paper. Whichever hand he took it with would be his dominant side.
When she and her girls left I tried the theory out.
The boy took the paper with both hands.
That's my boy!
This complete disregard of, supposedly tried and tested, theories relating to raising children reminded me of another time when the boys natural, 'I'll bugger that up', gene came to the fore.
Lemon Cake Lady had started counting down from 5 to get Lemon Cake Boy to do as he was told. She had read the theory that if you counted to 10 a defiant child would carry on counting, but if you counted down from 5 to zero, to give the child chance to comply with your wishes, then they have nowhere to go. If you reach zero and they still haven't done as they were asked, then you discipline them with the naughty step, taking a toy away or whatever your particular method is. The theory is that eventually they will do as they are being told before you get to that point.
Whoever came up with this hadn't figured on the boy!
I tried it out when the boy was playing me up about something.
5...... nothing
4..... come on darling
3..... still nothing
2..... I'm waiting
1..... still not doing as he was told
0...... that's it!
Did he suddenly comply for fear of losing out on TV time or similar?
No of course he didn't.
He stood in front of me, raised his arms in the air and shouted,
"Blast off!"
Then he took off like a rocket around the room.
You try not laughing.........
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