Our hallway needed
a change, apparently - so
Zack decorated.
Twenty-five minutes!
That’s how long it took to clean
up the mess he made!
The culprit tried to
escape but no chance of that
with Daddy around!
Seriously though… what would you do to punish an almost-3-yr-old for doing something like that? I took away his games, no TV for the day, and generally made sure he knew that I was unimpressed. He was put in his room for a time out, and I even got him to stand in the hallway watching me clean most of it up (he got very bored there!). If he was older I’d have got him to do it himself, but much elbow grease was needed so there’s no way he’d have managed it!
Help!
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Oh dear. Sounds like you did the right thing if he knew you were upset.
Veronica’s last blog post..What?! It’s Educational!
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yeh,
hrmm i dont know..
tough one..
but i think you did the right thing..
Taz’s last blog post..24 weeks old
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I think it’s funny. My 2 Year Old loves her crayons and even with my watchful eye, she colors on all things not paper. Magic Eraser has saved my sanity. That little pad scrubs everything!
Alisha’s last blog post..Haiku Friday-Spring Storms
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oh, i’m of no help. the one and only time we had this occur it was with permanent marker. we had an extra framing mat lying around and we stuck it on top of it. called it art. permanent marker on sheet rock.
transplanting me’s last blog post..m.i.a.
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Pardon the analogy, but…
Toddlers are like dogs. Unless you catch them pooping on the carpet it does no good to rub their noses in it.
Basically, unless you caught him mid-color punishment is pointless…they have very short attention spans and have no idea what they’re in trouble for, even if you show them. Also, punishing them all day is along the same vein. After 15-20 minutes all they know is they are being punished. That’s the rule we always went with on my son. He still saw plenty of time-outs, but they never lasted longer than his age in minutes…beyond that he was gone.
Sadie’s last blog post..Hai-Ku’d you take these DVD’s?
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I have no advice for you, just some sympathy!
Happy Friday!
wright’s last blog post..Haiku Friday - The Backslide and My Back Side
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Maybe you’re not looking for advice, but would it help to keep all writing and coloring things out of reach, and just bring them out when you can supervise? Our kids used to enjoy expressing themselves on large sheets of paper (I would get the roll ends left over from printing from our local newspaper.). Something about LARGE drawings really appeals to some kids!
Hope you find a happy answer.
Joyce T.’s last blog post..Haiku Friday, MUTTS edition
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I think you did the right thing. When my 2.5 yr old daughter does something wrong she usually remembers what she did wrong that day and even sometimes tells her dad hours later about her wrong doing.
So sorry you had to clean up that mess.
Sandy (Momisodes)’s last blog post..Dressed For Spring
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sounds like you handled it pretty well.
the planet of janet’s last blog post..Haiku Friday: the ooh-she’s-a-smart(mouthed)-kid edition
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My daughter will be 25 at the end of the month, and some of her creations are still on the walls.
She favored magic markers!
Much bloglove,
Frances
Frances’s last blog post..Pavonia Newport, NJ
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Such a dilemma!
I have no clue what else you
might do about this ;–}
Hugs and blessings,
My Haiku Friday posts this week are:
Joyful Burst of Color and
Of Oddities and Change
storyteller’s last blog post..Haiku Friday #29 - Of Oddities and Change
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Mine turns 3 on Sunday, and I would’ve spanked him & then made him apologize. Try the Mr Clean Magic Eraser in case there is a next time.
Anglophile Football Fanatic’s last blog post..HF: Housework Sucks
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My oldest did that in his bedroom and our dining room with PEN. It did not come out. I was not happy. Grrrr.
Kathryn’s last blog post..Weary
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Oh, dang. I never had that problem with my kids…don’t know what I would have done. About what you did, I’m guessing. Cute pix.
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*shrinks in horror as I imagine my future with Amos*
imaginary binky’s last blog post..Get your sex toy away from my child
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No suggestions. I just wish you would have had a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!
Crazy Daisy’s last blog post..Crocs: Love them or Hate them?
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I’m sure that next time it’ll be me who does the cleaning so I’m taking all the tips down
I’m also thinking about getting paper and thick markers for him to make work of art. Watch this space, maybe We’ll sell authentic Zack art here. If you’re lucky it’ll be signed too
- J
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What AFF said, 100%.
Secret Agent Mama’s last blog post..Photohunt: Twisted
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Oh, NO! At least it came off…
Rebecca’s last blog post..Photo Hunt: Twisted
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Good job it wasn’t expensive wallpaper!
Actually reminds me of that long-ago time when we only had one. She’d just started scrawling on large pads of paper, and for once I thought ahead. We had a small door in the living-room, painted gloss white, and I asked my OH if he’d mind letting her draw on it. He said OK, and we went to tell her - she was already there, drawing!
Dragonstar’s last blog post..Saturday PhotoHunt - Twist(ed)
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I myself have spent quite a bit of time un-decorating our walls. Magic Eraser - it’s awesome!
Also, about the “Toddlers are like dogs. Unless you catch them pooping on the carpet it does no good to rub their noses in it.” - Not even close to being true for most toddlers. However, some are slower than others, and the analogy might be quite accurate for them. My 2 year old remembers exactly what she did wrong and even how she was punished for it many weeks after the incident occured though.
As for how to punish - of course every child is different, but I make my kids (2 & 7) clean up most there own disasters, including anything on the walls.
Also - some people recommend for “wall decorators” - that you could get a large roll of butcher paper, craft paper, or the like and cover the lower half of ONE wall in the child’s room for them to use. This of course is thought to be a horrible idea by some, but I did it for my older daughter when she was younger and it worked great.
Good luck!!!
alt=”Got Boobie Pride”’s last blog post..Porn for Women
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Oh god, all this I have to look forward to, this post and the comments have scared me so much!
Fern’s last blog post..Hang In There Baby!
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Oh, I can’t tell you how many times my kids have done the very same thing. I have found that keeping the crayons under lock and key, maybe in the liquor cabinet is the best solution
Debs last blog post..We All Need Crafts
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