Self Discipline

Ryan and I aren't big disciplinarians in our home. Aryn's too young to really know right from wrong, even though I swear she knows when she's being bad, and when you love someone as much as we love the Nugget, it's hard to consider hitting her to prove a point.

Ryan and I were both spanked as children. I don't remember any of mine, and Ryan remembers only the last time he got "the spoon" because he grabbed it out of his moms hand and chased her around. I laugh just thinking about it. He wasn't even that old!

I support the concept of spanking. I haven't had to do it yet, and I'm not sure how I will react in the situation it would call for, but at this point in the game, we don't spank. I've tried the time out on the stairs, but Aryn seems to think it's a game and starts playing. I've smacked her little hand with my finger a couple of times but Aryn laughs. In the bathtub when she stands up, I hit her little bum lightly to make her sit down. That's the extent of our "discipline."

I use the term lightly!

However, lately, it seems that our sweet baby girl has taken on disciplining herself. It's like corporate punishment!!

For example...

This morning she sat next to Bauer's dog bowl to eat his food. She LOVES dog food and it's the grossest thing in the world for a baby to eat dog food. Ugh, it makes me want to gag. So, I said "no, get out of there!" and bent over to pull her out from under the island.

She stood up, looked at me, and hit her arm so hard she cried.

So I responded with, "Don't hit yourself!"

To which she responded with hitting herself harder.

Let me state here and now: I would RATHER discipline her myself than watch her hit herself and cry after!! It breaks my heart, and makes my eyes tear up!

Yesterday, she reached down while I was changing a poopy bum and I moved her hand away and exclaimed, "No!"

She pinched herself.

I don't know where she is learning to hit herself, or why, or why she does it so hard. I am hugging her more than anything now because I hate seeing her hurt herself!

Although... my job is going to be easy!

"Aryn, you just chased your little brother with a machete! Punish yourself!"

Right?