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Tot Sauce: Throwing Down

by Amy Nance

So I had a fun little experience a couple nights ago. For the first time that I've noticed, my son deliberately disobeyed me just to get a reaction. It was so blatant that it was almost comical, and I actually had to turn around so he wouldn't see me laughing.

The challenge we've been dealing with lately is throwing. My son throws everything: toys, forks, food, sippy cups, you name it. Sometimes he does it because he doesn't want it anymore. Sometimes he does it because he's mad or frustrated. Other times I think he does it just because it makes a fun noise when it hits the ground, or because it's fun to watch it fly down the stairs.

When he throws things, I'll warn him first. I'll say, "We don't throw our (insert object that was thrown.) If you throw that again, mommy is going to take it away." If he does throw it again, I'll pick it up and place it out of his reach. Sometimes he gets upset, sometimes he just moves on to the next thing and forgets about it.

The other night, we went through this routine. But every time I would take away one toy, he'd pick up another one, look directly at me, and then throw it. Like I said, it was so blatant that I actually had to go around the corner to laugh.

So my questions to you, fellow disciplinarians, are this: Do I stay the course and continue to be consistent in my method? Is it possible that the negative attention he receives by throwing things is actually egging him on, so should I just ignore the throwing behavoir instead? Do I take away all the toys instead of just the ones he throws? Do I do a time out instead? He's 15 months old. Not sure how effective that would be. I am at your mercy. Please help. :)