“Rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat.” I turned just in time to feel the spray of imaginary bullets. The little boy aimed his toy machine gun, complete with sound effects, at everyone in the store aisles. His Mom walked ahead seemingly oblivious, with his older sister in tow. The machine gun toy was keeping the boy entertained. His Mom was able to shop without listening to whining or complaining. But what kind of message was she sending her son?
I know it is easier sometimes to ignore a behavior rather than deal with it, but it only postpones the problem and makes it bigger in the end. Lately, when the babies touch each other too roughly I am working on teaching the word gentle. I demonstrate gentle touch on them and praise them when they use a gentle touch with each other. They will not have a toy machine gun for me to let them know that we do not point guns at people. If they use an imaginary one, however, this discussion will quickly follow.
I know our children will not have perfect behavior publicly or privately. They will test boundaries. They will say or do things in public that will make us cringe. I just hope we can be there as often as possible to give them gentle guidance and help them make better choices. I know they will go to school with a version of the rat a tat tat boy. I hope they choose not to follow. When they are out of our sight, I hope they choose gentle over rough.
Xayden, Capri, Grayson & Ryder (photos by 3 Cubed Studios)
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