Logan had a different evening tonight after he lost his "laptop time". We are trying to enforce listening skills & obedience. Moreover, when certain rules are broken consequences follow. After some tears were shed after realizing his laptop time was not going to happen he was on his best behavior the next three hours until bed time. He ate his entire dinner (cheese quesadilla, pear fruit pieces, and juice). Dinner was around 18:00, then around 18:15 - ice cream treats! He was almost some ice cream foodie tonight! His thoughts were similar to... "okay, if vanilla bean Haagen Dazs is all we have, that will have to do. Although, dad, I truly had my heart set upon CHOCOLATE!".
After some play time for the next hour or so, 20:15, he had a nice bath. We then began a modified bed-time routine. He ate his buttered toast, and drank his juice while watching the kid's TV network, NOGGIN. Logan has enjoyed the Noggin education cartoons, their entire network of shows, and the company logo for several months now. Just recently he has revived the interest in certain shows, "The UpsideDown Show", "Yo Gabba Gabba", "Max & Ruby", and "The Backyardigans". Before the show ends we will prep Logan by saying, "okay Logan after this show we are turning off the TV, and going to bed" or "at 20:30, we are going to turn off the TV, going to brush our teeth, then going to bed - you have school tomorrow". Preparation is the key for sure! He responds well to things or events ending if he is well aware they are about to come to a close. However, like some children his age, they might also throw a fit if their parent abruptly turns off the TV, gaming system, or even grabs the book they're reading and sending them off to their room in hast. Needless to say, the rest of the evening routine went well, modified or not. Logan is doing very well brushing his own teeth, getting his pajama's on all on his own (even picking them out).
After the toast snack, he bids goodnight to everyone or anyone still awake in our home, gives hugs & kisses then it is downstairs to brush teeth. Tonight, he even tried to put the toothpaste on solo - nice work son! Then he picks out 2 - 3 books for mom/dad to ready. Tonight, for a change of pace, and as a reward we listened to an audio book. Logan sparked an interest in "Hop on Pop" by simply reading the title on the back of another Dr. Seuss book he liked ("Green Eggs & Ham". So, the other week his parents ordered him the book of www.walmart.com and sent address to him via USPS. The smile he expressed after opening the cardboard packaging was well worth the several dollars for this unabridged children's classic. Honestly, I cannot remember the story until I began reading to our boys.
We listened to the narrative voice of David Hyde Pierce as he carefully crafted the pronunciation, and expression of each word, phrase, and action! While the audio played from dad's MP3 device, Logan sat on the bed eagerly awaiting each word as he followed along in his book. Page after page he listened, never missing a beat in turning at the appropriate time. His only hesitation was when he reached certain loved phrases or words. His favorite word these last evenings was, "fall". About 1 minute after the audio completed, and we finished the reading; I was asking Logan questions about which book(s) he would like to read next. However, while he was responding with "Go Dog Go"... he fell sound asleep. Another great moment in my life as a dad. Thank you Logan for all you do, all you are, and everything you will become!
Sincerely,
il tuo babbo
