Learning about how 'love' works

I'm big on reward/punishment for actions the kids take, as in "If you do [foo], I'm going to do [bar]". Many a discussion with my son ends in "... or I'll take away the orange car" (it's a very precious car - this month. Next month it'll be something else). I always follow through and do what I threaten, and combined with his fairly easy-going personality it's a pretty effective system.

So a few days ago I had them both in the bathtub. Audrey kept standing up, at which point I'd admonish her to sit down, which she did... and then she'd promptly stand up again. Jared decided that I was being too lenient on her, so he said: "Audrey, if you stand up one more time, I'm not going to love you any more!"

And then today, a few minutes after Jared spilled a cup of milk all over the floor at dinner (prompting a "If you spill milk, then you need to drink out of a cup with a top on it"), he says:

Jared: "Mommy, do you love me?"
Me: "Of course I love you."
Jared: "But not today, because I spilled my milk."

Comments

[dbt]

She casually reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Now now, Jared," she said, "it's no use crying over spilt milk."

[Kim]

Big hugs!

[Kim]

Big hugs!

[Jen]

Awwww - poor little boy - what a connection for his brain to have made! You have your hands full there!

[Purple_Kangaroo]

Oh, that would break my heart.