Consequences, Right?

Everything has consequences, right? I was telling Josh that whether he does something or doesn’t do something, there will always be consequences. The difference is that some are positive, and some are negative.  He asked me to leave his room.

He doesn’t even like the word consequences! That’s alright, I love it enough for both of us.  That’s because they’re the only thing I’ve got! Without them, it’s extremely difficult to get him to do anything around here. But it’s time to switch gears and begin to be able to focus on the positive consequences full time.

Josh not only likes patterns, he needs patterns to function at an optimal level. So, it seems reasonable to utilize that knowledge to help him become more independently responsible. Most of the time when he doesn’t get a requirement accomplished it’s because he forgot about it. That and self-initiating has been tough…so basically, he has been getting prompted and then reminded by me…every day…his whole life….and we’re both tired of us!

So, we’re starting a new plan. One that can become part of his routine…a pattern! Even though he thinks that clearing the dishwasher before he eats breakfast is a form of torture, it can become a pattern that he controls, not me. He says that with-holding food is some sort of abuse. I say that the food is right here, and he can eat it as soon as the dishwasher is emptied. The consequence will be of his choosing.

Tomorrow is the day. We’ll try out our new plan of pattern and consequences. My fingers are crossed that my evil food deprivation plan isn’t going to be dead on arrival.  I’m really hoping it’ll be positive and empowering for him. I might even get my sanity back…I know it’s in there somewhere.

Listen to the Podcast: Patterns and Consequences | http://sonyaking.com/jha037-patterns-and-consequences