Mel Hayde is coming

As I mentioned in this blog post (back in nov last year), I'm a big fan of Mel Hayde's book 'Terrific Toddlers'. And just recently I discovered that she's coming to Canberra to give a presentation at our church on the 20th June :) her blog is also listed under the blogs I visit.

I have to admit that getting Josh to have rest time and outside play time have been the biggest challenges since I've started using her routines ideas. He just hates to be by himself. It took me months to get him to a place where he'd stay outside or in his bedroom for the allocated time. But it's really helped. He now knows that he has breakfast in the mornings (and he is expected to wake up with a smile on his face, not whingeing!), then after that he's allowed to watch ABC kids and then it's outside play time. He'll even turn the TV off himself and go outside, then sit at the table outside and eat his snack before running off to play. He still comes in and out of the house HEAPS, but he's always ok to go back out again and stay playing outside til the timer goes off.

Writing it down makes it seem so easy...it has been so MUCH the opposite. I can't tell you how many times I've 'disciplined' him and then gone to my room in tears, pulled out 'The New Strong Willed Child' and re-read it looking for some tip or encouragement that I might've missed the thousands of times I'd read it before.

Anyway, thank God things seem to be getting a little better as he gets older (not today, we're regressing today unfortunately!) and I'm really looking forward to hearing Mel speak. I'm going to announce it at MOPS and at GEMS so hopefully some of those mum's will come too :)