Seriously?

  We are working hard to get back into our normal routine. We NEED routine. We NEED boring, no surprises, same ol' same ol'. Without routine, all is lost. My sanity, their manners, progress. You know, all the important things.

  Yesterday morning Seth said a bad word. I explained that the word was not allowed to be said in our home and that he was absolutely not to ever say it again. Well, 3 minutes later guess what came out of his mouth? I told him that since he now knew this was an unacceptable word, that he had to have a punishment. For his punishment, I sent him to brush his teeth and get rid of all the nasty in his mouth. I thought that was such a great punishment! Seth didn't, though. He immediately began wailing and screaming and throwing toys, then proceeded to hit himself in the head over and over. Oh boy I just wanted to snatch him up and turn him over my knee! Instead, I scooped him up and held him like a baby, gently rocking him until he calmed down. Then I sweetly asked him what was so bad about brushing his teeth. He looked totally confused. So I re-counted how he had said a bad word twice, and that I had sentenced him to brush his teeth to get rid of the nasty. So what was so bad about brushing his teeth? His answer: nothing. Well then why did he have such a tantrum? He looked even more confused. We ended up talking for a while about how if he would actually listen to me, he wouldn't have to throw a tantrum and everything would be fine. But if he didn't listen he was actually getting upset over nothing. We talked about it several times during the day, too, just to try and drive the point into his brain. It always amazes me how his brain works. He is super smart, but when the wiring shorts out he has one, and only one, reaction. Total meltdown. How do you un-do that? Will he ever get beyond that? It's bad enough at age 5, but what about when he is 15? Will he have any self control? Is he going to end up in prison because he has faulty brain wiring? I worry so much about his future. He is such a sweet, adorable little guy with so much going for him. It breaks my heart to see him struggling.