OK, parents of kids around the age of 7 (or who’ve been there)–I really need your help!?
For the first time, I have sent my 7-year-old to bed without dinner. This is not quite how I meant things to turn out. I was trying to help him with his homework; he was doing everything he could think of to get out of it and also to test my limits. And he’s a clever boy, so he’s pretty good at finding ways to do both.
The first time he did this, I warned him that next time I would take away a toy. He lost three toys this way, so…that wasn’t working. I told him that he was on his very last chance and that next time it happened, he’d go straight to bed. I wasn’t thinking about the fact we hadn’t eaten yet. But sure enough, he began testing the limits again, as though he wanted to see if I really meant it.
So I made him get into bed at 5 PM! Now I feel very conflicted. As a mother, I can barely stand to deny my child food. (He did eat lunch.) But if I go back on it, he learns that I don’t follow through with what I say…? He’s a great kid, just needs limits. Your thoughts?
It is important to follow through with children when you suggest a consequence, even if you aren’t sure the consequence is really one of your better ideas 
A child isn’t going to suffer any long-term effects from missing one meal. Kids will test limits, and continue as long as they are getting away with it, so follow through is extremely important. You are so right about setting limits. We had a similar struggle with our son and homework. He struggled with reading, and often was allowed by his teachers to say “I can’t…” – then when it came to doing homework, it was a battle at home. We finally decided to go with natural consequences. We would give our son three opportunities to sit down and work on his school work. If the third time we ask, he refuses, we put the homework away. If the homework doesn’t get done, he has to tell his teacher and deal with the consequence at school. The first time he got his quarterly progress report and saw “F’s” for some of his assignments, he became much more willing to sit down and do his homework. We did clue the teacher in to our plan, so she was aware. Best of luck!
| | Sonic The Hedgehog Age 7 Badge Birthday Card £1.89 Wow! 7 Today Sonic The Hedgehog badge birthday card…. |
| | My Very Own Fairy Light – Girls Early Learning Educational Toy £9.99 … |
| | Super Mario Age 7 Birthday Card £1.43 7 today Super Mario birthday card and mushroom screen wiper…. |
| | Toy Story 3: The Video Game (Wii) £9.99 The toys are back in town and at last they’ve got a video game to equal the brilliance of the movies. You can relieve the story from the new film if you want, but there’s much more to this game than the usual film tie-in. The best bit of this game is the exclusive Toy Box mode, where you can play as Woody, Buzz or Jessie in the role of Sheriff in a toyland town. This mode uses all the same cha… |
| | Tangled (Nintendo DS) £8.74 Disney Tangled: The Video Game is a story-based adventure where players team up with Rapunzel to explore a vast kingdom filled with colorful environments as well as engaging quests and challenges Explore Rapunzel’s world to find collectibles Solve puzzles and challenges Use Rapunzel’s magical hair to rejuvenate objects and befriend animals Play fun mini-games and gain skill to master them … |
| | Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (PS3) £11.99 LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 combines two of the most beloved franchises to deliver a magical, fun-filled adventure. Based on Harry’s first four books and films – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- fans can experience Harry’s first four years at Hogwar… |
| | *NEW* Microwavable Herbal Cow Soft Toy. Simply warm in a microwave for two minutes to release the wonderfully soothing lavender aroma, ideal for children of all ages. £20.48 Microwavable Cow. Microwavable herbal cow soft toy. Simply warm in a microwave for two minutes to release the wonderfully soothing lavender aroma, ideal for children of all ages. All our microwavable soft toys come complete with full, easy to read instructions and conform to all relevant British safety standards. They have a wonderful soft and smooth feel and are filled with treated millet seeds a… |
| | Microwavable Herbal Hippo. Microwavable herbal hippo soft toy. Simply warm in a microwave for two minutes to release the wonderfully soothing lavender aroma, ideal for children of all ages. £17.11 Microwavable Herbal Hippo. Microwavable herbal hippo soft toy. Simply warm in a microwave for two minutes to release the wonderfully soothing lavender aroma, ideal for children of all ages. All our microwavable soft toys come complete with full, easy to read instructions and conform to all relevant British safety standards. They have a wonderful soft and smooth feel and are filled with treated mil… |
| | Microwavable Bagpuss. Microwavable herbal Bagpuss soft toy. Microwavable herbal Bagpuss soft toy. Simply warm in a microwave for two minutes to release the wonderfully soothing lavender aroma, ideal for children of all ages. £16.95 microwavable bagpuss cozy plush toy! Ideal bedwarmer or soothing comforter…. |
| | Hue Animation Studio for Windows PCs (Pink): complete stop motion animation kit with camera £59.95 Product Description Hue Animation Studio contains everything that you need to create stop motion animation videos. The fully-featured animation software has been specifically designed for ease of use and will suit all ages from five and above. Children of all ages can be creating their own stop motion films minutes after first installing Hue Animation Studio. Included in the package is… |
| | Toy Story: Dino Fun Paint Box Book (Paperback) $3.95 Boys ages 3 to 7 will love painting with the friendly T. rex from Disney/Pixar Toy Story! This Paint Box Book includes 24 images of Rex, Buzz Lightyear, and all the toy friendsplus 8 different colors of paint and a sturdy brush. |
| | Kidwise Obstacle Racer Bounce House $473.44 Two (2) kids can race at a time through the obstacles Up to four (4) kids at 100-pounds each can play on this bouncer at once Dimensions: 7 feet high x 19 feet wide x 19 feet deep Age group: 3 years and older |
| | Where`s Woody? Pictureback (Paperback) $4.94 Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody, and all the toys from Disney/Pixar Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3 star in this full-color 8×8 storybook that features a flap to lift on every page. Kids ages 3-7 will love lifting the flaps again an… |
| | Toy Team 3-d Book (Paperback) $4.94 Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody, and the rest of the toys from Disney/Pixar Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3 jump off the pages in this new 3-D coloring and activity book!. Boys and girls ages 3-7 can color 3-D images of their… |
| | Tricks, Treats, and Toys Color Plus Tattoos (Paperback) $4.49 Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody, and the rest of the toys from Disney/Pixar Toy Story are ready for Halloween! With 48 pages to color and over 30 tattoos, this activity book will make the perfect fall treat for boys and girls ages 3-7. |
| | Buzz`s Space Adventure/Sunnyside Boot Camp Deluxe Pictureback (Paperback) $5.08 This deluxe storybook features two original Disney/Pixar Toy Story tales—plus over 50 stickers! Boys and girls ages 3-7 will be eager to join Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody, and the rest of the toys for more exciting adventures. |
| | The Big Boat Race! Hologramatic Sticker Book (Paperback) $4.89 Team Umizoomi is Nickelodeon`s animated series featuring miniature action heroes that help children solve everyday problems with math. Boys and girls ages 3-7 will love this coloring and activity book with over 30 shiny stickers. |
| | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 25th Anniversary Season 7 – Part 3 – The Donatello Slice; Toy Included (DVD) $11.87 Mutated into anthropomorphic fighting machines when they fall into the sewer at a young age, four turtles–Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael–have been trained in the martial arts by the sewer-dwelling Hamato Yoshi. Now, they fight crime i… |
