Take that!

Gymboree is a fun time for all the kids. It's a place to explore. It's a place to laugh. It's a place to run the Moms, Dads, & Grandparents ragged, too! There are things to climb on. There are obstacles to go under & over. There are tunnels to crawl through. There are also skirmishes regarding balls, rattles, & hula-hoops. Skirmishes? Yes. There are skirmishes.

Yesterday was a normal day at Gymboree. We were about 15 minutes until the end of class. I'm about 8 feet away from my Bear. Standing behind Bear was Blaze (another regular in class). All of a sudden I see Blaze push Bear in the back. It wasn't an accident.

Once the Bear got his balance, he turned around and looked Blaze in the eye (the two are the same height). What happened next? Blaze put his two hands on the Bear's chest to push him again! You know what Bear did? He stepped forward. He wrapped his arms around Blaze's neck. He then sat down on his bottom, which pulled Blaze down with him. The Bear then laid down on his back and rolled to his left. Then he was on top of Blaze. He had pinned Blaze under him! Oh my gosh! It happened in a blink of an eye.

I was flabbergasted! I was amazed! I was SO proud of my boy!

Why was I proud of him? Because he didn't push Blaze after he'd been pushed the first time. He didn't retaliate. He showed restraint. He turned and looked at Blaze. My Bear only defended himself once Blaze was obviously going to push him a second time. Then my Bear took the kid down! He did it softly too. He wasn't rough. He just wanted to show Blaze that if the was not going to be nice then the Bear would definitely defend himself.

I was right there to pull my Bear off. Blaze's mom was across the room chatting it up with someone. So she didn't even discuss the pushing business with him...because she didn't see it! Oy!

I find it annoying when a parent lets a child run rampant. Allowing a child to push other children. Allowing their child to take toys away from other children. Allowing their child to think he or she is the "king of the world!"

People, you need to control your children! No matter where they are at. You need to be consistent in disciplining them. Showing them boundaries. I don't care if your child is only 18 months old. You need to start setting down guidelines of behavior when they're young. They might not be able to understand you at first, but they will understand if you stay consistent.

Okay...off my soap box now...