In trying something new, I described efforts we were undergoing to change how we respond to David, and how we let him affect us.
Yesterday, we were given an added tip or coping mechanism.
Laughter. When angry we should laugh more, because it is difficult to be angry while laughing.
On one hand, I think it is an act of lunacy. But on the other hand, it makes perfect sense. Can you be angry while you are laughing?
I can’t.
Last night the power was out for roughly 5 hours. We repeatedly asked David to stay in the same room as us. We ordered him to do so. He didn’t and wouldn’t.
For most kids this isn’t such a huge issue, however, when your child is a thief and does things like playing with fire, you sure don’t want them roaming around in the dark unhindered.
Especially when we discovered that he was playing with the candles.
So we restrained him. And he started laughing. actually, restrained isn’t the right word. We blocked access to the rest of the house.
I asked him, “why are you laughing?”
He responded, “the lady said we are supposed to laugh when people are upset with us.”
It took a while, and repeated application of his weighted blanket, but he finally did start to listen and then fell asleep.
I guess this change stuff is more difficult than I thought. We will soldier on.
