I Still Love You

There are many good people who disagree about appropriate discipline methods. Whichever you choose, though, I believe it should always be followed up with with lots of hugs and words of affirmation. Sometimes I'm pretty sure I forget to do that. I get in my "matter of fact" mode, the toy is taken away (or whatever has just happened), and that is that. In my less-than-great parenting days, it is followed up with something lame like, "Maybe next time you'll remember not to smash the play dough into the carpet." On a better day, it is followed up with something like, "I know you're sad that I just threw away the play dough. Do you know why I did that? What can you do differently next time? Do you know I still love you? We can try again tomorrow." I use this example because it happened today. And it was not my greatest parenting day. I threw away the play dough (which was brown from having 4 colors mixed together--the shade that is now all over the floor and the kitchen chair cushions) without saying anything but "We are all done." Big Sissy cried for a few minutes, then she said, "I'm sad that you threw my play dough away, Mommy, but I still love you." It made me smile in the middle of a messy parenting moment and was a great reminder of how important those words of affirmation are.