Monkey See

Sammy wants so badly to have attention. Sammy wants so badly to be with his brothers. Sammy wants so badly to be left alone. Sammy is three and a half. It's an on-going quandry.

I try whenever I am able to give Sam devoted attention and some solitude; I try to sit and read with him alone, play a game or just hang out with him.

In the midst of all this I also try to give Aidan and Noah individual attention, help them all foster relationships with each other and still not govern every interaction they have. Whew, just writing that makes me want a cup of coffee.

So that is our day-to-day in a nutshell. Aidan and Noah want to do what Sam does. Aidan and Noah want to be where Sam is. Aidan and Noah want to have what Sam has. Aidan and Noah say what Sam says. Sam likes to screech at the top of his lungs. Aidan and Noah always chime in. From time to time, he lets one of these glass-shatterers rip in the car. I try to remind, encourage and command him to stop since I'm convinced that one day I will swerve off the road because of it. The larger problem is that once he's done it once, I've got Monkey See and Monkey Do chiming in and not stopping. I often encourage him in all sorts of behaviors by telling him that he to set a good example. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. But it is another way to reinforce without lots of telling him what to do.

Well, during one of these screaming episodes, I told Sam to knock it off, the boys kicked in. A few seconds later, Sam screeched again. I said, "Sam, stop." He said, "Mommy, the boys are setting aren't setting a good example for me."