And this begins my new
He calls it a sculpture.
This is from his morning impressionist phase.
"Hippo gets friendly with Elephant who prefers Dinosaur"
What did your toddler do today?
"Hippo gets friendly with Elephant who prefers Dinosaur"
What did your toddler do today?
How funny is this? Bubbles got so concerned as I was watching Tricia's post about her little lovely's owie, I had to grab my own camera.
His review of the film?
"There is an owie. Someone help that girl before I am overcome with
sadness for her plight. Good product placement.It was a bit of a chick flick, but the surprise ending was pleasant
enough. The plotline and suspense are appropriate for a wide range of
target audiences, but toddlers will get most out of the take-home message."~Bubbles
At first, when Bubbles would want something, we used the traditional first step of
Eventually (and I hope quickly; stay tuned), he will realize that just walking up to me and saying "JUICE" is really going to be far more efficient and satisfying, as well as the most direct route to getting the juice.
For anyone who is concerned that ABA does not show respect for a child, does not allow them input and choices and independence and worth, and essentially creates trained monkeys, you are sadly mistaken and uninformed. As we are newbies to this science, I am going to suggest that the concept is most eloquently explained by this anonymous commenter (to whom I wish I could give credit):
"Quality ABA is all about respect and teaching the child in a way that they are successful by breaking down skills and contriving siutations so they are better able to express themselves. By simply "showing respect" to children in need of this type of intervention, a child would be denied the right to learn..."
See? I couldn't have said it better myself.
Repeat as necessary. This seemed extreme to onlookers, and tedious to us at first, but very quickly we saw results. Bubbles, like most children, does not like the third step. He does not like to be physically made to do something. However, because Bubbles' mama is still smarter and bigger than he is, she let him know right away that this was not optional.
Oh, the tantrums. We went from bad to worse. But that was such a short week, I can barely remember it. At least not once I saw him decide to 'put the toy in the basket' on the first step. Fine, lady, just don't friggin pick my hand up and make me do it. Happy? Suddenly he was putting away toys whenever asked. One or two reminders and then you can leave him to complete the task. And he will.
Threw a bowl of cereal on the floor? Out of the high chair, onto the floor for some three-step cleaning up. Would it have been faster to sweep? Hell yes! Did he clean every single piece of cereal up? Hell yes! Has he thrown his bowl of food since then? Hell no.
We were leaving a friend's house with many many trains. It was sad to hear it was time to go, especially when more than forty thomas and friends engines had been connected on the track. Bubbles cried, "No, no no! NO GO!" And I went over to him and opened the box for the trains and told him to put them away. He stopped his tantrum, and started to put the trains away, one by one, all the while crying about it, but never stopping until the trains were all put away. He amazed and was praised by everyone there. The other day at costcow, he wanted to walk instead of ride in the cart. At costcow, where you will get mowed down by a cart if you are shorter than 3 feet! I told him that he would have to hold my hand or the cart. "Do you understand that you have to hold on?"
"YESH!" (I love how he says that)
And the amazing part? HE DID. He did for the remainder of our shopping expedition, which included about 4 more aisles. He never once let go. He is two.So yeah, now the tables have turned.
Whoa! He just came downstairs when you called him? I gotta get me some of that ABA! Does it work on teenagers? That boy is the best listener! What a sweetie!
We're working on the six year old; I still have hope for her because she is still malleable, and also still driven by incentives and deterred by consequences. Seriously she is awesome, but she could use a little three-step guidance in her clean-up skills.
And what I have to say to those families who think I am training a monkey, but from my perspective, are being railroaded and directed by their children while their 'progressive' parents sip tea and talk about respect and choices, and child-led parenting (oh yes, it is a term):
fuck off PPPPPPPLLLLLLLBBBBBBBBTTTTTTHHHH!!!!!!!!!
If my toddler runs out of the park and towards the calliope sounds of the ice cream truck and does not see the oncoming car? When he hears me bellow, "COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" , the odds are extremely in my favor, that he will.
If your four year old daughter is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer,
and you had no idea how much longer she had to live, and on the way home from
the grocery store, your car is struck by a person who made a poor decision
and is driving drunk, and your daughter is killed, then is her life not worth
fighting for? Is your anger unfounded? Should you not feel like you
have been cheated out of time and handed the biggest rip-off in the history of
motherhood?
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