The SWC Revealed

Let me school you...............


SWC = strong willed child
SW = strong will


On average there is only one SWC in a family. On average. Unless you are Kevin and Mary Jackson, who both have SW's and the eminent result of our SW's is distributed so forth in our children, ALL of our children.
So the case have been proven in our home. I was a naive mother to the 2nd SWC, since the first SWC revealed himself at birth. Our 2nd SWC sat quietly waiting for the precise moment to reveal the SW and thus immerse he and I into a fierce day long battle.

C has always seemed so laid back, sweet, easy going. He seemed a child who would listen, a true-blue parent pleaser. So, we treated him as so. We let our guard down. I am not sure yet if C is a full blown SWC, or if he is choosing what to use his SW for.


So the war begins.......


10am - C eats breakfast happily while N argues about why he has to eat and breakfast really isn't important

1030am - C is done with breakfast while N is still trying to debate

1035am - C gets dressed and plays happily while I prepare a bag for our day of errands

1050am - N is still debating the issue of breakfast while trying to get dressed and expressing his absent desire to go to the grocery store

1055am - I put on C's shoes and the screaming and kicking ensues **Caleb acts as if he feet no longer work with the shoes on his feet**

1100am - Noah happily hops in the van and buckles himself in while C continues to kick and scream and act like his feet aren't working.

1110am - I move Caleb to the door step and tell him because he has on shoes doesn't mean he can't walk and he needs to walk to the van

1135am - battle is still being raged while I sit in the van and make grocery list and watch C kick and scream on doorstep.

1143am - a breakthrough happens and I ask, "Are you ready to walk over to the van?", I get the reply, "Yeah". And so he does.

Think this is over.....oh no. Let's not underestimate the power of the SW.

20min drive to the gym with a strapped down kicking and screaming kid. I guess he thought if he could kick hard enough the shoes would fly off. Bless him.

I give in. I want a workout, so the shoes come off while I put him in childwatch. No one in childwatch who has half a brain would have taken C in this current state of tantrum bliss. :)

I workout, go to get the kids and prepare myself for round 2. I put C's shoes on and lo and behold! He hates them again! Surprise Surprise. Now it's a fun game of lets kick mommy while she carries me to the car, maybe the shoes will come off that way. Yay (that's a very monotone yay, just in case ya didn't get that). I again strap C in and he again tries his theory of nonstop kicking in hopes at least one shoe comes off and maybe, just maybe hits me in the back of the head. Okay the last part of that sentence may have been stretching, but this day I wouldn't have been shocked to see that shoe flying by my face and through the windshield.

So, many of you are asking...... Just take the bleeping shoes off already. Well, I will get to that after I tell you about round 3.

We arrive home after our pleasant 20min return trip. Some of my SW has kicked in and I am gonna see this through to the end. C is gonna walk into the house. Seriously, it's all of 15 baby steps to the mudroom. I unstrap and set him down and he drops like a fly hit by the swatter. OH MY his feet suddenly aren't working again!! He is literally on his back, feet in air, moving feet in such a manner they look like wobbly casters on a old used office chair. I inform SWC that all he has to do is get in the door and the shoes come off. Last round ended in 23min, after some rolling around and wailing in the driveway. I wonder what the neighbors thought? Oh well.

So, back to the question, Why didn't I just take off the shoes?
1 - He wore them just the week prior in Oklahoma and never fussed except the day we got them and on the airplane ride home. Ok, so he fussed twice.
2 - he has to learn to like shoes since he strongly dislikes the ones that are attached to a bar that he has to wear every night.
3 - There is not an option to go barefoot in AK. Those days a few and far between. Usually it is chilly or muddy, and not to mention a buh-zillion spiders live here.
4 - lastly I am not a parent who lets the kids make the decisions. Shoes are a part of life and therefore we must learn to wear them.

Why did I let it go on for so long? I am not into "breaking" my kids by forceful discipline. However, in a situation where the child thinks he is on a level with the parent then yes. He can throw his tantrum and still do what I say. Mommy wins ALL the time. I love my children with all my soul, but they were not programmed to do the right thing or know what to do in life. If this were the case, who in the world would need parents?

Case in point. I have not had another episode from C and his shoes. They get put on when we are going somewhere and he walks. case closed.
I started this post a couple of days ago and am just now finishing. So far from watching C, I think I am going to make the initial assessment that he is SW'd about certain things. Or should I say certain thing! Further research may prove different.

Oh and Happy Father's Day Hubby! You are a wonderful father to two awesome little boys who think you hung the moon and the stars, and the sky and you are cool cause you fly airplanes, and take them camping. Here's to you and spending many more years celebrating an awesome thing....being a dad! Love you!

Happy Father's Day to you too Dad....you already know you are cool, you rock it on a Harley! AND who else put the love of the outdoors in me AND who would've thought that I would have 2 little boys to pass that on to........

Happy Father's Day to Weaky (Kevin's Dad) - I couldn't have asked for a better FIL (father-in-law) Who else will eat 3 pieces of chocolate cake/pie/chunks/chocolate/chocolate with me????!!!!!