how I should be punished if I don't listen

"Well Adam, can you please tell Mummy what Mummy can do to make you listen when Mummy tells you things?"
"Mummy says don't play with scissors, you go and play with scissors"
"Mummy says you are not to touch other peoples stuff that you know do not belong to you - like razors that you find in your bathroom, and you go and play with them and cut your hair with it!"
"Mummy says you are not to use the sharpener to sharp your color pencils and I see your color pencils all sharpened till they are practically useless as you play with them by breaking them and sharpening them again!"
"Now tell Mummy, what should Mummy do in order that you LISTEN and do as you're told???!!"

"Err..you can whack me, Mummy!"

"Is that what you want Mummy to do?" 

"Noooo!!!" 

"Well then, tell Mummy what YOU think is the right punishment that you will listen to"

"Welllll...you & Daddy tell me to stay in my room for TEN days..and take away all my toys and things..and I will sleep for TEN days.....err...after TEN days..when you and Daddy feels like calling me..then I will wake up and I will be good"

Ohh...if things can be THAT easy...but that's a 5year old solution to his own naughtiness.
Should I start his own punishment the next time he does the opposite of what he's told?

Hmmmm...TEN days...of peace and quiet...!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What does a 5year old do when he feels unappreciated??

Yesterday, Saturday/23Aug, David told Adam to clean up his toys as it was scattered everywhere in the lounge room and his own bedroom.

David gave him a box and told him to put all his toys in there and put the box in Adam's bedroom. 

I was in the kitchen cleaning up and about 20minutes later, Adam came into the kitchen and emptied the dust-pan that's full of dust, into the rubbish bin.

 

Then it was very silent for another 20mins and I thought David had set Adam about doing some other tasks, so I went to ask David, "What did you ask the boy to do now?? I saw him earlier with the dust-pan full of dust that was emptied into the bin in the kitchen and I haven't heard anything from him." 

 

"I didn't ask  him to do that! I only asked him to clean up his toys!", David exclaimed.

 

"Well..it's wayyyyy too quiet for too long downstairs..and he's either doing something he shouldn't or doing something you've asked him to", I said. 

 

"Adaaaaaaaammmmmm!! Where are youuuuuuuuu???" called David. 

 

"I'm downstairs...I'm sad..because....mumble..mumble....sob ...sob!!" came the sound from downstairs. 

 

"Come up here so I can hear you", said David. 

 

Up the little boy came..ever so sloooooowly. 

 

"Now, what were you doing and what did you say just now?", asked David. 

 

"I was sitting on my bed because I was saddddddddddd!! I cleaned up my room and threw out the rubbish..and I'm being good...and SOB! SOB!! you didn't say I was good and that's why I was saddddddd!!!!.....WAAHHHHH!!!", Adam cried with the saddest sounding voice he can muster. 

 

"But but, Daddy didn't ask you to clean your room, Daddy says to clean up your TOYS, you silly bugger...and Daddy didn't know that you've swept the floor of your room so how can Daddy say you're good when Daddy didn't see it?"

"Come here and Daddy will give you a nice HUG. Yes, you're a good boy, Adam!" 

 

"SOB!! SOB!!" sniffled Adam. 

 

When David was giving Adam his good boy HUG, he couldn't help it but was laughing silently but David's whole body was shaking from laughter!! 

 

What a surprise this boy gives us sometimes...did some work which was not asked and expected to be complimented!!I guess we have to be more sensitve to what he does and tell him when he's being good ..since we tell him off often enough when he's being naughty! 

 

When I asked him where he swept to get so much dust into the little dust-pan, he said it was from under his bed! I guess the girl that was supposed to clean our unit up twice a week isn't doing much work since she's been left on her own when I'm at work and David's not around.

 

She's been drinking Adam's Milo and did not close the lid tight, used my brush, did not finish doing her ironing and playing cards instead and when I came home, the house still felt dusty.

Oh well..I'm just waiting for my phone bill to come as I noticed (using the redial button) that each time no one's home except her, she's been using our phone without permission.

Well..if I see that she's been talking away at our expense, out she goes!

I've been telling David that I don't need a housemaid but he says to give her work and I don't have to do so much but I'd rather prefer my privacy without someone going through my stuff, even if I have to do extra on weekends. The only thing I don't really like and not much looking forward to is the ironing :)

Other than that, I can mop and clean the house just fine without the housemaid and save over A$50 each week!

 

Oh! By the way, Adam's toys was all in the box too. He cleaned them all up..till he takes them out again tomorrow and scatter them again all over the place!!

When a 5year old feels unappreciated!

Yesterday, Saturday/23Aug, David told Adam to clean up his toys as it was scattered everywhere in the lounge room and his own bedroom.
David gave him a box and told him to put all his toys in there and put the box in Adam's bedroom.
I was in the kitchen cleaning up and about 20minutes later, Adam came into the kitchen and emptied the dust-pan that's full of dust, into the rubbish bin.

Then it was very silent for another 20mins and I thought David had set Adam about doing some other tasks, so I went to ask David, "What did you ask the boy to do now?? I saw him ealier with the dust-pan full of dust that was emptied into the bin in the kitchen and I haven't heard anything from him"

"I didn't ask him to do that! I only asked him to clean up his toys!", David exclaimed.

"Well..it's wayyyyy too quiet for too long downsstairs..and he's either doing something he shouldn't or doing something you've asked him to", I said.

"Adaaaaaaaammmmmm!! Where are youuuuuuuuu???" called David.

"I'm downstairs...I'm sad..because....mumble..mumble....sob ...sob!!" came the sound from downstairs.

"Come up here so I can hear you", said David.

Up the little boy came..ever so sloooooowly.

"Now, what were you doing and what did you say just now?", asked David.

"I was sitting on my bed because I was saddddddddddd!! I cleaned up my room and threw out the rubbish..and I'm being good...and SOB! SOB!! you didn't say I was good and that's why I was saddddddd!!!!.....WAAHHHHH!!!", Adam cried with the saddest sounding voice he can muster.

"But but, Daddy didn't ask you to clean your room, Daddy says to clean up your TOYS, you silly bugger...and Daddy didn't know that you've swept the floor of your room so how can Daddy say you're good when Daddy didn't see it?"
"Come here and Daddy will give you a nice HUG. Yes, you're a good boy, Adam!"

"SOB!! SOB!!" sniffled Adam.

When David was giving Adam his good boy HUG, he couldn't help it but was laughing silently but David's whole body was shaking from laughter!!

What a surprise this boy gives us sometimes...did some work which was not asked and expected to be complimented!!I guess we have to be more sensitve to what he does and tell him when he's being good ..since we tell him off often enough when he's being naughty!

When I asked him where he swept to get so much dust into the little dust-pan, he said it was from under his bed! I guess the girl that was supposed to clean our unit up twice a week isn't doing much work since she's been left on her own when I'm at work and David's not around.

She's been drinking Adam's Milo and did not close the lid tight, used my brush, did not finish doing her ironing and playing cards instead and when I came home, the house still felt dusty.
Oh well..I'm just waiting for my phone bill to come as I noticed (using the redial button) that each time no one's home except her, she's been using our phone without permission.
Well..if I see that she's been talking away at our expense, out she goes!
I've been telling David that I don't need a housemaid but he says to give her work and I don't have to do so much but I'd rather prefer my privacy without someone going through my stuff, even if I have to do extra on weekends. The only thing I don't really like and not much looking forward to is the ironing :)
Other than that, I can mop and clean the house just fine without the housemaid and save over A$50 each week!

What other shocking thing can a 5year old get up to......

I had a nap yesterday (Sunday/9March) and when I woke up, David had 'released' the 5year old prisoner out to play.
Hmm...strange..as he's very quiet outside..so I went to look for him.
SHOCK HORROR!! Never in my life would I have thought Adam's capable of this!!
Me: What are you doing???!!!
Guilty faces of both boy and girl (5year old neighbour): "SILENCE"
Me: Adam, get back inside the house. (in a calm voice).
Adam: (starting to bawl and cry) BUT.. but.. Daddy let me go out to play!!!
Me: Get back in the house right now...and I want you to tell Daddy what you did!
INSTANT drying up of tears. He must be thinking..OH! OH!! I'm in the shit house again!!

Me: Go tell Daddy what you did.
Adam: "mumble mumble mumble"
David: Speak up...what did you do??
Adam: "whisper whisper whisper"
Ok, enough with the suspense..since Adam couldn't tell it as well
I still couldn't get the image out of my mind! Geez!!

I walked up to find Adam and his 5year old Papua New Guinean neighbour, on the ground, kissing, with Adam on top of her. It doesn't sound as drastic now but BOY! they were sneaky enough to go and 'do the deed' quickly, it seems, so that "Mummy will not find out"!!
Anyway, I questioned Adam again this morning about his kiss yesterday and I got another shock. It seems this was the SECOND time he's kissed the same girl.
When I asked him why, I tend to believe him when he says, "I told her my Mummy would be angry and it's a naughty thing to do but 'Vinka (the girl's name) said let's do it quickly so your Mummy won't find out"
"So she lie on top of me and then I lie on top of her!"
OH DEAR!! This boy..will give me a whole head of grey hair before he's even 6 years old!!
He's so scared that the girl next door will not be his friend or play with him that he's at her beck and call even though he knows "it's a bad thing to do".
Apparently, they got married first - had a wedding and a ring on her finger as well.. So they figured it's alright to kiss and lie on top of each other!!
The things kids learn and then put to practise nowadays!!
Guess there'll be more talks to this boy about what 5year olds can and cannot do!!

There's a 5 year old thief in the Family!!!!

Naughty boy, last week, took a K1 coin from the K2.20 coins I got ready and put in his school hat, since they are all 10toeas and one K1 coins and his little hands won't be able to hold them all, (we were in the car) to give to newspaper man on the side road on the way to sending him to school every morning - next day, bought newspapers again and was told I didn't give enough money !! It was pretty embarrassing....asked Adam, "What did you do with all the coins I put in your hat??!!"
With a cheeky smirk on his face, "I took the coin with the hole in it (K1) and put in my school shirt pocket!"
"Why did you do that?!!! It's supposed to be for the newspaper and Mummy told you to give ALL of the coins to the man!"
"I just wanted the coin to go to the candy shop in school, Mummy!"
Next day, his teacher told me they found K1 on the floor of the classroom and when asked whose it was, Adam claimed it and when I asked him what he did with it later, he said he lost it!!! SIGH!!! THEN....he remembered..he put it in between the classroom bible!! Go figure..safest place in the world!
Naturally, we wanted to teach him a lesson, so that afternoon, David & I took him to Gordon's police station. He was bawling his eyes out! Made all the usual promises never to do it again. So that's the end of it, we thought!! Wish I could post the video I took of him at the police station but the movie size is just way too big to be posted here.

Just yesterday (5March), after sending him to school and I was leaving his classroom, one of his classmates came over to me and dobbed him in.
His school requests that we put in some coins daily to help the needy and poor so everyday before I leave him, I always ask him to take a coin out of my purse and give to his teacher who then takes out a box to put the coins in. I always made sure he gives the coins to his teacher and they in turn have been told any coins found on him is to be taken from him.
Anyway, the little girl told me, "Adam took coins out from the box and was playing with them!!"
Ok, so I went back into the classroom and asked him if that's true. He admitted it - again, took the money to go to the candy shop..doesn't get it inside his head, he's not allowed to go there by himself (it's the school canteen/tuckshop that also sells candy) unless the teacher takes him and his teachers have been told he's not given any money by me to buy candy!
"How many coins did you take, Adam?"
"Only one"
By this time, a few curious classmates had gathered around the guilty boy.
A different girl this time, "No, he took 3coins and he was playing with them." He denied it so very loudly and insisted it was only ONE.
"What did you do to the coins you took, Adam?"
"I threw them out the school gates!!!!!!!!"
"WHY??!!"
"Because then Mummy will not see that I have the coins to go to the candy shop!!"
GRRRR!!!!! Lose the evidence, how clever!!
His teacher came in just then, got told off, "Teacher will not be happy with you, Mummy will not be happy with you and our friend there will not be happy with you" They pray in a corner every morning so Adam knows who the friend is. I told Adam to apologize to his teacher for stealing money meant for the needy and poor and he was his usual acting self..cry in self preservation - I think his teacher is not on to his crocodile tears just yet.

Went back home, told David, since he had some errands to do that day, he picked Adam up. While driving home, David gave him 2choices - go to police station again or come home and get punished by writing "I WILL NEVER STEAL MONEY EVER AGAIN" ; silly boy don't want either and way ahead, David saw a police car and told him a story about having his police friend just waiting further down the road and he's just waiting for David to signal for him to stop and take Adam; when Adam saw the police car, he was scared and bawling his eyes out, pulling David's shirt, saying no, he'll be good, never do it again...same old story..and YES!! He will come back and do his punishment of writing the sentence.

When they both came back, Adam was sniffing and trying to invoke my sympathy but I didn't ask him what's wrong as I guessed it must have something to do with his 'stealing'.
Anyway, he changed out of his school stuff and took a piece of paper and started writing..next thing I know, he was asking me, "Mummy, how do you spell WILL?"
David was surprised and pleased at his initiative as he was actually preparing a piece of paper with the sentence "I WILL NEVER STEAL MONEY EVER AGAIN" so he can just copy it 10x.

Well..initially we said write 20x but just the 10lines took Adam almost 3hours..figured that's punishment enough as he keeps yawning..boredom..haha!
So was what he did cheeky? naughty? funny?? I don't know..I just hope he's learnt his lesson!!

Yellow Chick Drawing

Adam came home from school just now and on the way home, he stopped by at the snake house with Daddy.

When he was there, he saw a yellow chick (at first I heard chickpea!!) and when I pretended I didn't know what he was talking about, he said he will draw it for me so I will know what it is.

Here's his picture of a yellow chick. Not bad for a just-turned 5year old:

My little swimming champion

I must say, without a doubt, that my kid is quite independent..
Previously when we take him swimming, he insists on using his floaties, otherwise "I will DROWN without my floaties, Mummy!!"
Seems like all sudden-like, yesterday (14Jan'08) when I took him to the pool, he was so very confident.."I don't need my floaties anymore, Mummy, I know how to swim already". Doubting him, I still got him to take along his swim board.
True enough, he was SWIMMING! Here's a boy without proper swimming lessons, swimming of his own accord..just from watching TV advertisements! I remember him asking me about one of the advertisements, that the children learn to swim without floaties and they did not drown..I guess that must have given him the confidence to just jump into the pool...worried Mummy always nearby and he keeps pushing my hands away! So very confident..now has me worried as I don't swim that well and he's eager to go to the deep end of the pool!
Guess Mummy will be the one needing floaties to keep up with him next! LOL!

Cooking

I have not been too much of a cook but since getting married and having a place that I can temporarily call home (till we get a real permanent one) which I can experiment in my own kitchen, I've been doing abit of experimenting here and there.
Recently tried my hand at making sushi and I'm pleased to say that it turned out quite well being a first timer!!
Didn't take any pictures of the sushi made as we were all too hungry!!
It's a simple dish of just cucumbers, tuna and sweet egg-Jap style!
Just need to google and read some of the how-to-dos and then just do it! :)
Few other dishes which I've tried and worked out well too - baking cakes, cupcakes, muffins, noodles dishes to name a few.
Oh well..it's been fun but will try more difficult dishes once I've got all the necessary ingredients in hand abit at a time when I've started work and earning some money :)