Discipline without the cane

Much as I fantasise about buying a cane, we're trying very hard to do without one. I was never caned, although I remember being smacked many times with the slipper and Packrat was caned so often that he's pretty much anti-cane. But the twins, especially Evan do drive us to the point where we wish we had something to brandish at them.

Anyway, we succeeded in disciplining him on Saturday without the cane to much effect.

Every Saturday, we go out somewhere. To breakfast, to the park, just the four of us. It's the twins' special time with Mommy and Daddy.

Evan knew we were going out. While waiting, he got out his blocks to play with and his magnetic alphabet set. When we were ready to go (I marvel at home quickly children can get ready!), we told him to clear up his blocks. Over and over again, we repeated it while he merrily went along his way, doing his own thing. Jordan, hearing the increasingly stridency of my voice quickly sprang into action and started chucking the blocks back into the bag.

The thing about Packrat is he's generally mild-mannered and leaves the disciplining up to me. But when he decides, enough is enough, even I get fearful.

And at that point, he decided that. He told Evan in no uncertain terms that if he didn't get off his bum and help his sister, he could forget about going to breakfast at McDonald's (Evan was the one who requested for McDondald's, feeding the fish and jumping around at the playground in that order). Of course, Evan didn't know what was good for him and turned a deaf ear to Packrat as well.

So we called his bluff. We got Jordan to get her shoes on and Evan, seeing that got his on too. We told him no. He was to stay home because he didn't do what he was supposed to. You could see the panic grow in his eyes. He knew we meant business when we stepped out and shut the gate in front of him, with him on the inside.

There were tears. There was begging. But Packrat stood firm. Me, I was melting into a puddle inside but I didn't interfere.

Apparently, he cried for an hour. And that afternoon, he woke from his nap, crying and moaning the fact that he'd missed his pancake breakfast (Of course, he didn't know that we didn't actually go to McDonald's without him. We ran other errands with Jordan in tow.)

Asking him now why he didn't go with us, he'd tell us he hadn't kept his blocks and Papa was angry. Ask Jordan why Didi didn't go out with us, she gives the same answer.

Hopefully we've succeeded in teaching BOTH kids that we mean business and they will quietly do as told next time!

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