For the past several days, I've been visiting family out-of-state with the boys. We've been having a fabulous visit, but it has a rollercoaster with Zippy! One minute quietly painting at the kitchen table, another minute shooting fruit out of his mouth and across the table. One minute graciously entertaining his brother, the next minute rolling around on the floor at the bank. One minute all please-and-thank-you, the next talking back to his grandmother. I remind myself this is normal for a 4-year-old, especially one with a very high-energy disposition who thrives on structure and being constantly engaged in stimulating activities. He's testing new situations and new people, trying to keep himself entertained in sometimes boring situations, and sometimes functioning on insufficient sleep due to vacation disrupting his normal sleep schedule (I will take responsibility for that one).
I've used a lot of time outs this week, not having my reward jar from home handy, but in the back of my mind I know this isn't the most effective way to channel Zippy's never-ending exuberance. So today I got a little creative and felt much better about the outcome.
