Don’t Laugh. Keep a Straight Face.

So before my days of being pregnant and actually having kids I watched the show Super Nanny.  I really liked it.  It all made sense to me – her discipline style.  I thought I knew it all and thought I would never need a Super Nanny to come to my house to teach me how to discipline… then today happened…

Mally has been fighting getting her diaper changed or getting her clothes changed.  She can’t stand it.  I put a book on her changing table and have her look for things in the book – worked for months.  Not so much anymore. 

We started doing timeouts for being naughty.  She doesn’t like timeouts and they (usually) work like a champ.  Today – she liked it!  OMG!  This girl!  Once I think I got something down she goes and changes it on me.

She was being naughty with trying to get her diaper changed so I took her for a timeout.  She sat there.  Not crying.  Just sat there.  Then she started pretending to yawn and letting out big gasps of air/breathe.  Then she starts getting this serious look on her face and will look out of the corner of eye.  Then she tries to get up.  I immediately get her, put her back in her spot… without communication (Super Nanny says don’t talk).  She laughs.  Sits there and yawns – looks serious – gets up again.  I put her back.  She laughs.  We did this so many times that her hair is now a static mess and is sticking up every where to the point that all I want to is bust into a fit of giggles as she sits there and pretends to yawn.  Then she started licking her lips and smacking her mouth.  Then she got up on her knees and started walking away on her knees because she seen me do it one night while we were picking up toys and now she tries to imitate the move.  I put her back and she says “Listen Momma!  Listen Momma!”

And it continued… I was having to bite my cheeks so that I wouldn’t smile or giggle.  I have always had a problem with discipline – I get the giggles.  My little sister and little brother would do this to me all the time – they would be driving me up a wall to the point of breakdown and I would turn to yell at them and yell… then laugh!

Anyway – I finally got my timeout across to her after a good 15 minute battle.  We hugged and said sorry and she went down for a nap.  Whew! 

Now why, on all those shows I watched, didn’t Super Nanny come across a Mom who got the giggles when trying to give time outs?  I could of used that lesson!