Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

DD not going to party for bad behaviour

42 replies

couldtryharder · 27/11/2010 14:31

Just wanted to say that I've finally actually carried out a threatened punishment and have phone my 5 year old's best friend to say that she's not coming to the party this afternoon. It's been a day of tantrum after tantrum, backchat and bad attitude. I felt I had no choice than to do what was threatened. Now I feel like a mean miserable mum. Mum thinks I did the right thing. Dad doesn't. Husband not here, but think he'd agree with me. Feel most badly for the best friend and her mum. This parenting thing is hard and I feel like I'm always getting it wrong Sad.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
hillyhilly · 27/11/2010 15:42

I'm with Anton, it was a major punishment but she was giving you some major behaviour!
The other mum will understand, don't blame yourself but hope that your DD learns something from this and is able to behave better in future - seatbelt is just a no go, as the other poster said, if she won't wear it, she can't go anywhere can she, it is not a subject that is in anyway open to discussion.
Don't be too hard on yourself!

Takver · 27/11/2010 15:46

I'd second the Explosive Child.

Don't be put off by the fact that the book talks a lot about children with quite extreme problems, there are loads of useful tips in there.

Takver · 27/11/2010 15:49

I think Madamedeathstare is right. If your dd is like mine was at that age, if she is having a really bad day it was probably better all round not to go to the party, as she would quite likely have acted up there, which would have been stressful for party host / birthday child as well as you.

(DD now 8, and - mostly - well behaved and reasonable, at school as well as at home, so don't despair!)

NotAnotherBrick · 27/11/2010 17:00

wannabe - we just see our role as parents differently to what we did before we read about this way of parenting. We genuinely find that, (although it took a long time of doing it to get the 'we are in charge-you must do as we say or we'll punish you' attitude out of us and the children), all we ever need to do is sit down with them lovingly (ie. physically showing them we love them) and speak firmly about why doing whatever it is is unacceptable.

But most important, we find, is making it clear that we take them as seriously as we take eachother so, just like I wouldn't tell my husband to stop being stroppy or I'd stop him going out later, I don't do the same to my children.

With my husband, I'd say how it was making me feel, try to find out why he was stroppy, ask him what he thinks we could do to stop the stroppiness etc.

I know so many parents whose children still hit eachother (for instance) despite years of punishment for such behaviour, so it clearly doesn't work; and Kohn (and other writers - I certainly would never subscribe completely to what one person says - just take the bits that make sense to me...) would say that it can make the situation even worse. If your child doesn't misbehave because he's frightened of the consequences, then you've not actually taught them what you want them to learn - that hitting isn't a helpful, or moral, way of dealing with things.

If you sit down with your child(ren) and talk about why it isn't helpful to hit, and show them that they've both got upset and angry and not got any closer to sorting out whatever the problem was, then they learn that it's not only unkind and unacceptable to do that, but that it's counterproductive and doesn't make either member of the exchange happy. The thing to do, IMO, is to teach them better ways to do things, which they soon realise actually are more helpful and more enjoyable and more efficient etc.

It's hard work, though, when I'm losing my temper myself, and the first thing that enters my head is to yell at them and tell them to go to their rooms but taking a step back and apologising for speaking in the heat of temper and suggest we sit down and talk about it more calmly is usually way more effective.

This is a good website to read if you're interested

wannabeglam · 27/11/2010 17:06

Thank you notanotherbrick - appreciate the time you took to answer my question, will look at the website you kindly linked.

missinghamster · 27/11/2010 17:33

I think you absolutely did the right thing. Why should she get to the party when she'd been behaving so badly all day? I bet the best friend is not half as bothered as you might think, especially since she'll still get the present. She might listen to you better now she knows you will carry through and that these treats are treats and not her right no matter how she behaves.

couldtryharder · 27/11/2010 19:45

Thanks Anton. Appreciate the thoughts from you all. Might not agree with it all, but it has made me think.

OP posts:
SkyBluePearl · 27/11/2010 19:58

Yes you were right to carry out a threat but maybe there would have been a better way forward?

This seems to have turned into an interesting debate about punishments.

Personally I think you can use timeout fairly as a bottom line AND help children to learn to make moral decisions for themselves about what is right and wrong. My own boys (7 and 2) are fab examples of this - we talk alot and they have a very solid view of what in right in their opinion/they are polite/ caring. I use timeout calmly/simply/fairly/ occasionaly as it gives everyone time to reflect and breathe before working things through/moving forward. It simply takes the heat out of the moment and is done in the most constructive caring way.

I do wonder if your DD was tierd, exhausted or coming down with an illness though?

We all have horid days so don't worry too much. I think you should give yourself a big pat on the back for being a reflective parent - not everyone is. Give her a big cuddle and have a heart to heart sometime soon. Tomorrow is a new day and a new start - try and put today behind you.

doozle · 27/11/2010 20:09

I think you did the right thing actually.

Unfortunately there are consequences in life and it's a lesson to be learnt.

couldtryharder · 27/11/2010 21:18

Skyblue - yes, I seem to have sparked a debate and although it wasn't my intention, it's been interesting. I've felt supported, guilt-tripped, told off and encouraged. But I guess that's what it's all about. If I wasn't interested in everyone's opinions I wouldn't post on here. As an aside, we recently moved house and I didn't have internet for 3 weeks. There were many times in those three weeks where I could have done with the thoughts of you lovely ladies (and occasional gents). It's good to have you back.

OP posts:
cory · 27/11/2010 22:05

I am not totally averse to punishment, but would also try to avoid punishments affecting third party.

I still remember dd sobbing inconsolably for hours because the party she had been looking forward to for weeks had been cancelled- the party girl had been naughty. Dd kept sobbing "what have I done wrong? why can't I go to the party?" and I wished fervently that the other girl's mum could have managed her punishments in a more private way.

Of course what you did was far less upsetting than that, but I still imagine that dd would have felt it unfair if her party was to be used as a means of disciplining another child. She would have felt (as I would) that it is bad manners to cancel at short notice unless there is a real emergency.

ragged · 28/11/2010 09:15

Everything on MN sparks a debate, Couldtryharder :).
Snort at the reliance on "explaining" things to "teach" your DC to behave. DS2 has such poor impulse control that he can't think in the moment about what's been explained to him, (not even what's been explained to him about how to control his impulses) he just acts out.

NotAnotherBrick · 28/11/2010 16:31

Glad you find my parenting so amusing, ragged.

Lancelottie · 28/11/2010 16:39

Goodness. I don't thin k Ragged is finding your parenting of your children amusing, Brick, just the thought of trying it on her own little time bomb.

Lancelottie · 28/11/2010 16:40
ragged · 28/11/2010 20:10

Didn't mean you to take that personally NotAnotherBrick, it's just this... assumption that explanation always work with every child.

I secretly suspect that it's not explanation but persuasion -- that people who have good powers of persuasion find UP easy and obvious.

I'm so glad that "explanation" works with your child , heck maybe it will work with OP's kid. Just not the panacea that some proponents of UP think it is.

onimolap · 28/11/2010 20:22

I think you did the right thing.

Especially as you know the other family well and can arrange something to cheer everyone up once your DD has begun to behave herself again.

She will have learned today that you carry through on ultimatums, and that she will have an unpleasant time if it when she misbehaves badly. Seatbelts are non-negotiable - I hope she's now got the message.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page