timer lady
Queen of Hearts
I was watching an episode of the Dog Whisperer last evening. The more I watched Cesaer handle a couple of out of control dogs, the more I compared it to my tweedles.
And I began to consider his mantra on dealing with dogs. Exercise, discipline & affection ~ in that order.
Exercise to work out the anxiety & defiance (exhaust them into submission) , then discipline to demonstrate order & teach the rules; finally affection.
I know as parents, the affection & love are always there, but I started looking at what I had to do to help tweedles dee & dum. I had to detach in a very big way; I always had the exercise thing going to burn off steam & then there was cuddle time. Dog, child......dog, child......child, dog? Not that big a difference in some ways.
Another mantra is that the "pack leader" (mom & dad) needs to remain calm & assertive at all times.
Can you imagine the amount of money we could have saved if the Dog Whisperer had been on 7 years ago? All I would have needed was a a couple of leashes & his book or video.
I say this "tongue in cheek" but in many basic ways it is how we need to deal with our difficult children.
Who'da thunk? :coffee2: