Giving a kid choices

[WOUNDTIGHT]

The kid (just shy of 3) was running around and not listening to bedtime stories. I decided to cut our losses. I said, you can read one more book, or go to bed.

He immediately said go to bed. So we put him to bed.

He's now in the middle of a 15 minute freak out screaming, "I want to read a book!"

He does this every time. I give him a choice, he picks one and then when he sees I'm serious he does a last minute change to the other choice. I'm so sick of it.

He's just testing me, yes? I should stick to my guns and tell him he made a choice, now he has to stick to it?

[MadamePresident]

My 2 year old does the same thing. I'm trying to give less choices in general. When I do give a choice where I think he might flip flop, I ask him like 2-3 times and tell him what will happen and that we are not going to change.

[hopecounts]

Yes stick to your guns.
The choice thing works once they get that choices are final.
Hang in there.

[puppylove64]

My kid is 4.5. You might be stuck with this for a while....

Sometimes I stick to my guns, sometimes I pick my battles. Good luck

[WOUNDTIGHT]

It took 35 minutes but he finally passed out. H and I took turns going in every 5 minutes or so to give hugs and tell him we could try again tomorrow.

We are also working on being polite so for a while there he was rage-screaming "PLEASE mommy may I read a book!" which was simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking.

[chickadee77]

Oh, God. We just went through this tonight. H is alllll about negotiating with terrorists, and I finally said, "NOPE. Bedtime is NOT taking 2 hours of bouncing between Mommy and Daddy tonight." I'm done with it. We were doing great, and then a few nights ago H decided to join in (bless him, really, he was trying to help me) and for 2-3 nights it's been one stall tactic after another. She doesn't do that shit when it's just me, because she knows better.


UGH.

[soozy87]

Stick to it. I don't know that I would even do the 5 minute checks, but maybe I would depending on the situation.

[quesyrah]

I would give him a book to look at in bed.

[rbp]

Sept 1, 2016 21:12:13 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

I would give him a book to look at in bed.

Ditto. M always has a book in his crib.