Disciplining a child with a Chronic illness


When the kids are naughty - they are told off. I was brought up like this and so was Mark - not just at home but at school too.

The telling's off can range from anything like refusing to eat their dinner, not putting their toys away after I've asked them to a million times or arguing/ fighting with each other.

A few weeks before Christmas we bought Martha Grace her big girl bed and moved her out of the cot. She shared a bedroom with Isabella so we bought them both matching bedding. Less than a week later and Martha Grace had found a biro (absolutely our fault) and had written on her bedroom wall, over her bedding and Isabella's bedding as well as the curtain. A few week's before that and she had written on her week old pair of shoes (£38 from Clarke's, you feel my pain no?) 

I say time and time again that out of the three children - Martha Grace is naughtiest.

She get's a telling off like the other too because I don't want them to think that she's getting away with being naughty when I always pull them up on stuff they shouldn't do. Yet at the back of my mind there's a voice telling me "There's a family waiting for their child to come out of theatre now, they would do anything to make sure their child comes around and has the opportunity to get up to no good again". There were times when Martha Grace was critically ill and I'd log on to Facebook to see one of my friends complaining that their child was refusing to sleep at 9:30pm, I would have to fight the urge to comment with a picture of Martha fully ventilated asking "Would you like to swap places with us?"

I know that this time two years ago I would have done anything to be where we are now, or to know that we would reach this stage in our lives with Martha. But if I keep thinking like this - Martha Grace is going to get away with murder. She has been through so much in her short life that she deserves to be spoilt rotten, but I don't think I will be doing her any favours if we don't discipline her like we would a Heart Healthy child.

So - how do you discipline a child with a chronic illness?

GM
x






Little Hearts Big Love

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