I stuck to my guns

Biscuit is in the midst of an exploratory phase.

Actually, let me explain that a little bit better. Biscuit has to touch EVERYTHING, put EVERYTHING in his mouth and throw EVERYTHING in the floor.

He has also learned that there are actions he can take that will try my patience. And he performs those actions while staring straight at me, almost willing me to do something about it.

So I do what I'm supposed to do.

I say no. I sit him down when he stands on his chair. I take things away from him that he shouldn't put in his mouth. And I help him pick things up after he throws them in the floor.

But the odd thing that I've found is that it's really, really hard to say no, scold him and make him do what he's supposed to do and keep him from doing what he shouldn't. It hurts his feelings, and it hurts my feelings.

I didn't expect that. I didn't expect to have such a strong reaction. I don't remember my mama having a hard time saying no to me. But now I wonder if she did.

I also wonder how much Biscuit understands. Even though he can only say a few words, how many can he understand?

Biscuit's vocabulary is still limited to a few words, but believe me when I say the attitude is there already. I scolded him about something the other night, and he started jabbering and chattering back at me.

So I looked at him and said, "I don't know what you're saying to me, but I don't like your tone!"

He's a 1-year-old, and I told him I didn't like his tone!

Then the other night, he kept standing up in the chair he got for Christmas. I told him twice that he could not stand up in the chair. I said "sit down" several times. So finally, I said, "If you stand up in that chair one more time, the chair is going away."

Guess what he did? He stood up in the chair ... AGAIN!

So I set him down, grabbed the chair and started walking toward my bedroom, with Biscuit right behind me. I put the chair on top of my bed, out of Biscuit's reach but right where he can see it.

Then I headed back toward the living room. Again, with Biscuit right behind me, this time crying and fussing.

As I turned the corner into the living room, I looked back at Biscuit and said, "I don't make idle threats!"

I looked up at my smiling mother-in-law who said, "Do you think he understood you?"

And I said, "Probably not, but it made me feel better saying it. I did what I said I would do!"