offense

i have to thank my friend, kara, for a jog of my memory this weekend.  during the transitional months i forgot how to train my kiddos on the offense.  i've been running defense lately.  let me explain.  

our kids misbehave, we correct their behavior.  that sounds good, right?  

"allie, you need to use a gentler tone, please."  "caleb, let's have a more joyful attitude when i ask you to clean up your toys."  "riley, we are not going to pitch a fit at the grocery store.  please find your self control."

nothing wrong with any of those statements EXCEPT, if you are me, you are saying them on repeat... broken record status!!

i have found that the BEST and most rewarding way to train our kiddos is to work on these things offensively.  when nothing is going wrong and there is nothing to correct.... that's when you lay it on thick!

for instance...

with allie we have done role play before.  she'll be playing her littlest pet shop and i'll pop in and play alongside her.  as we are playing, i will pretend that one of the animals uses a harsh tone, his mommy/daddy corrects him, he responds well, and corrects his tone the next time.  almost every time she asks to do it too and she'll repeat the same scenario and thinks it's so fun.

with caleb we play alot of "what if" games.  driving is a great time to chat it up with your kids and get them thinking.  "what if it's time to go and you aren't done playing?"  "what if your friend pushes past you and beats you to the slide?"  "what if i ask you to pick up your toys and you just don't feel like it?" and i love to throw in silly ones to keep them interested.  "what if you are playing in the front yard and you step in dog poo?"  "what if you were on the sidewalk and the sprinklers turned on and soaked you?"  "what if lightening mcqueen drove up in our driveway?"

with riley we would drive to the grocery store and need absolutely NOTHING.  we were going just for training purposes.  that way if things got crazy.... no big deal... i could bale and not be frustrated.  but if things went well, i could be intentional about praising good behavior.  

all that to say... it's time to get back to training this way.  we have been playing defense far too long and this momma is TIRED!   i'm grateful that tomorrow starts a new week and we have a fresh focus to start it with! woohoo... bring it on monday!

and here are some random pics of what life with boys is like these days:

towers out of spices

lots of super heros

pirates are a must

and this was the day of tornado sirens and playing in the closet

cars, blocks, starwars, and balls