Too Smart for Us

Calfgrit3 has been difficult to put to bed for a few weeks now. Well, let me correct that: he’s been difficult to keep in bed. We can get him in bed, with some herding, but after we’ve turned out the light and left the room, he starts making lots of noise and then gets out of bed.

We’ve tried many different methods of keeping him in bed, from rewards to punishment. And we try to stay on a method for at least a week before making an adjustment or giving up on it, but some times a method works, and some times it doesn’t.

The most recent system we’ve used includes getting a star sticker the morning after he stays in bed. But if he gets three strikes and goes to time out (in another room, with me, where he has to lay down and can’t disturb his brother who is trying to get to sleep) he doesn’t get a star. When he gets a star, or a number of stars, he gets a special treat — either a special food (a Go-Tart) or a small trinket from a “prize box” we have for such situations.

This system worked for a couple nights, and he didn’t get up at all after we turned out the lights. But then he started again. A couple times, he got three strikes and so got no star and no treat/prize.

Then the next night, he got up twice, and got two strikes, but stayed in bed after that. Then the next night, he got up twice again. That second time he got up, Cowgrit heard him giggling and talking to Calfgrit7, who was getting annoyed.

Calfgrit7: “You’re not going to get a star, so you won’t get a prize.”

Calfgrit3: “It’s alright, this is just two.”

The little bugger. He was playing the system. He knew where the limit was, and he was pushing it. He too damn smart for his momma and daddy.

So now we’ve removed the whole strikes concept, and he has just one chance to earn a star. It’s kind of humiliating to be out played by a 3 year old.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com