Pavlov Dogs - ring a bell, feed them, repeat like 50 times, then ring a bell and they will drool with or without food.
Dogs/shock - sound buzzer, give the dogs and electric shock, dogs jump over wall to other side of pen, after the first time, sound buzzer, the dogs jump.
I didn't do these experiments, I just remember reading about them.
The boys were pathetic this weekend. It was beautiful and sunny, so we spent a lot of time in the park, bike rides, and the zoo. Yet, my emotional little souls were whiney and clingy all weekend. During one beautiful meal, on the side cafe of a totally casual resturant, DS1 spit water out a straw at me, and DS2 kept crying to be feed, but then also chose to spit his food out, again, and again, and again. So me shouting, me giving time outs, even had DS1 sitting on a milk create outside the cafe at one point.
By Sunday late afternoon, instead of the usual 20-30 minute bath at 7 pm, I put the boys in the tub at 6, told DH to make me a martini, and like DS1 said when I finally told them to get out of the tub... after a long time, "our toes look like raisins". In my defense, I did get a few things done while they were in the tub. The both got hair cuts, a draining of the tub to wash the hair out and a refill, as well as brushing their teeth. And kept adding warm water to the tub. But I also finished my martini. Today, as I write this, I wonder if I should drink and cut their hair at the same time? Yesterday, I didn't care.
But here's the question, I'm big into positive reinforcement. We do lots of high fives, chats about what a good boy(s) they have been, etc. But I'm still forced to the warnings, time outs and tears (by them) over their melodramatic, oscar worthy behaviour when I tell them "no" or ask them to modify behaviour; as in "no, I'm not going to buy you a six foot tall stuffed polar bear", "please keep your pant on", "no biting", "honey please don't lick the display case", "please keep your feet in the stroller", "no feet on the table", "please don't do head stands on the concrete" - these are all actual things I said this weekend. The book and parenting magazine experts all say that positive reinforcemnt is more effective than negative consequenses. I'm not totally sure.
1 comment:
I love your honesty. I seriously do. My drink of choice this weekend was a stiff gin/tonic. I'm not sure whether it was the drink, the crappy sleeping again, or the constant disciplining that prompted the call to the occupational therapist for an evaluation with Josie. Regardless, it's happening next week. Cheers!
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