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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not give ds a drink?

314 replies

BonkeyMollocks · 18/04/2012 20:37

Ds (4) is currently shouting from his bed that he wants a drink.

He has been offered water twice, which he has refused because he wants juice.

Apparently he is thirsty and now he wants daddy because daddy is normally a soft touch. I have banned daddy from speaking to him or going in there, because it will end with dh giving him juice just to shut him up, therefore making him not listen to me in the future and he will do it every night.

I am in a really shitty mood anyway and its not helping but dh thinks I should just give him some juice.
I think we should sit it out and let him cry it out.

He also did the same thing last night, he went to sleep eventually after 2 hours :(
AIBU to ignore him?

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 18/04/2012 21:40

what if the OP gave him the juice and then he kicked off over brushing his teeth again?
then you'd lose twice.

and what if he demands it every night on pain of scremaing fit?
an then tantrums over brushing teeth?

or should she just let his teeth rot?

the kid was thirsty, he was offered a drink. totally right, IMO, not to give in to the tantrum

blueskycp · 18/04/2012 21:45

Think you were right to stick to your guns. He knows what the score is now & you've probably saved yourself from more battles! Plus juice at night = tooth decay :)

Thefoxsbrush · 18/04/2012 21:51

I can't believe some people have said give him juice! This is setting you up for a lifetime of a) dental problems and b) a spoilt child who knows screaming gets his own way.

Well done for sticking to your guns OP

Sparklingbrook · 18/04/2012 21:57

Well done. And give him the water when he goes to bed tomorrow. Wink

OTTMummA · 18/04/2012 21:59

Ds, who is 4 has had it explained that you can only have water after you brush your teeth, I do however let him have what ever drink he wants with dinner, milkshake, lemonade, whatever, but after teeth are done just water. DH has a cup of juice to take to bed, he also has to visit the dentist more often as well. He won't listen to me or the dentist about juice overnight being awful for his teeth, a habit since childhood he can't break. Yadnbu op.

usualsuspect · 18/04/2012 21:59

I can't believe some people are so pissy over a drink of juice.
But there you go...

scuzy · 18/04/2012 21:59

well done for sticking it out. it was not about juice after half hour of screaming he wasnt getting his way. if he was thirsty the water would have done the trick. those that would give in ... how guilty would you feel when carting him off for a tooth out at 6 yrs old just because you, the PARENT, wanted peace and quite.

scuzy · 18/04/2012 22:01

usual surely you see its not about juice ... its not giving in when a child is having a tantrum.

OTTMummA · 18/04/2012 22:02

Pissy? I believe it is more about setting boundaries, being consistent and basic dental hygiene

usualsuspect · 18/04/2012 22:03

When did MN become so bloody sanctimonious?

curiositykitten · 18/04/2012 22:05

usual I'll go out on a limb here and guess that you're one of the parents that think you have wonderfully behaved children - it's not because they know how to behave, but because you give in to their every whim.

They won't thank you for it.

usualsuspect · 18/04/2012 22:06

My children are all grown up thanks

OTTMummA · 18/04/2012 22:06

I don't like having fillings, so naturally I want to name sure ds avoids that for sometime, going to bed with sugary juice all over your teeth is a sure way to end up in the dentist chair for a filling. That's quite simple really, also I won't give in to a screaming attention seeking child, where is the good in that?

Sparklingbrook · 18/04/2012 22:06

usual It's all about the teeth as far as I am concerned.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 18/04/2012 22:06

Well done OP. Water after teeth brushing here too.

usualsuspect · 18/04/2012 22:07

All well adjusted adults complete with teeth, any thing else you would like to assume?

scuzy · 18/04/2012 22:07

well then usual your opinion doesnt have much weight then if your kids are all "grown up".

usualsuspect · 18/04/2012 22:08

Well they weren't born grown up

curiositykitten · 18/04/2012 22:09

So long forgotten what it's actually like to be a parent to a small child then...

scuzy · 18/04/2012 22:10

was juice invented when they were young?

LetsKateWin · 18/04/2012 22:11

I'm a soft touch, but I would stick to water after brushing teeth.

curiositykitten · 18/04/2012 22:11

At no point in the start of the thread did the OP suggest that she was not giving her child juice because she didn't want him to have juice - but that she was not allowing him juice because, in her opinion, he was using it to try and have control over her and wasn't going to give in to his tantrum.

Your "omg, just give the poor kiddy juice" comments are completely unnecessary and well, out of your arse, basically.

usualsuspect · 18/04/2012 22:12

Really and you are a child rearing expert are you?

usingapseudonym · 18/04/2012 22:13

I wouldn't be happy with a child screaming for 2 hours or see it as a battle. I would follow through on consequences but try and comfort the child in other ways.

Someone upthread said it's not about the juice and I wonder if that's true. If they are doing this over lots of issues then maybe when not in a situation its important to pay more attention to the child. Or talk about it at another time. I find my daughter doesn't really play up without reason, often something is worrying her or she's needing extra reassurance.

scuzy · 18/04/2012 22:13

and you are?