Emma's Melt Down...or Was it Mine????

I've been really struggling with Emma's defiance and disrespect towards me. This morning I had had it with her whinning, yelling, screaming, stomping, etc. She refused to get in the car with a pair of shoes so we could go to the park and meet up with my running group. I figured this was the perfect day (it was Veteran's Day and there was no school) to let my plans drop so a message could be sent to Emma that that behavior wouldn't be tollerated. You might be thinking, no way, not Emma! Yes, my sweet little Emma! I took EVERYTHING out of her room and put it in my room...what a disaster!

So empty...just a bed to sleep on.

No toys...only some clothes to wear.

No comfy chair...

A bit later, my friend Lora, stopped by and made this chart with Emma. It was a way for her to see what her actions looked like by comparing them to a pot of boiling water. Each time she was at a 3 and could calm back down, she got a bite of ice cream. It worked for a while, but then we fell off the wagon and I went back to the discipline drawing board.

Allison even got to pick out some special ice cream because she was pulled into all the drama every time Emma threw a fit.

A couple months later, I found some magic in the book, 1, 2, 3, Magic. Thank goodness! Since then, we cleaned out and downsized all the clutter in Emma's room. It was the perfect time because Christmas was coming and we needed to make more space for her new things.

November 7, 2010