My Parents Were Good Punishers-
Being consistent is important in this matter, no? So Leone is supposed to be having no TV this week (read down further for why), but when I suggested it Caterina said “We've tried this before, it doesn't work, Leone doesn't care.” As soon as she said this I thought something didn't sound right. Leone LOVES watching TV! So now I've figured out the problem. His parents are a bunch of softies when it comes to enforcing it! The very first night of his punishment I walk into the TV room to see Caterina and Leone “playing chess.” True, there was a chessboard in front of them but the TV was also on! The second day of his punishment I catch Leone hidden away up in his father's study watching TV! Then, that night, we all sit down to eat together with the TV on as usual, nobody even thinking about Leone sitting there watching too! I say something about how I think Leone should sit in another room to eat if the TV is going on but I'm pretty sure they thought I was joking. As I type he's at his grandmother's house, and I'm positive all thoughts of his punishment have left everyone's mind except my own. Frustration!!
Being consistent is important in this matter, no? So Leone is supposed to be having no TV this week (read down further for why), but when I suggested it Caterina said “We've tried this before, it doesn't work, Leone doesn't care.” As soon as she said this I thought something didn't sound right. Leone LOVES watching TV! So now I've figured out the problem. His parents are a bunch of softies when it comes to enforcing it! The very first night of his punishment I walk into the TV room to see Caterina and Leone “playing chess.” True, there was a chessboard in front of them but the TV was also on! The second day of his punishment I catch Leone hidden away up in his father's study watching TV! Then, that night, we all sit down to eat together with the TV on as usual, nobody even thinking about Leone sitting there watching too! I say something about how I think Leone should sit in another room to eat if the TV is going on but I'm pretty sure they thought I was joking. As I type he's at his grandmother's house, and I'm positive all thoughts of his punishment have left everyone's mind except my own. Frustration!!
posted by J.B.K. at 6:22 AM
3 Comments:
You should make up some story about how when you were young you had a similar situation, and the part that really stuck with you was not that you had no tv for a week, but the fact that your parents actually enforced it... or something. You have to find a way to make the punishments stick. Maybe try something more manageable. No tv for 2 days or something. Or, maybe something that you are the only one who has control over it. No radio on the way to school or something.... okay, thats not very good... but you know what I'm saying.
Matt expressed my sentiments exactly. It doesn't sound like you can depend on the parents to follow through, so you'll need to come up with something that you can enforce. Leone has proabably been able to get away with lying for a while. That's not an easy behavior to change once it's become a habit. At least you can express your disapproval. If Leone sees you as a role model, perhaps that will have some impact. Good luck!
Happy Birthday, Jimbo. We love and miss you. I'm awfully glad you were born--you bring so much into our lives!
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