Thing 1 continues to cause us some worries. His bugging behaviour seems to know no bounds, and though he clearly understands consequences, he doesn't seem to really care or want to change his behaviour patterns to fix the situation.
Case in point: we're planning a 2-day family getaway near X-mas. It's a place they LOVE and cannot wait to go back to. But due to some recent behaviour at home, Thing 1 has been told he cannot go with us (not sure what we'll do with him if we follow through, but that's another issue altogether). When told of this, he was visibly upset (tears, whining, etc.). He was also told that he now has the opportunity to re-earn his place on our trip. Did any of this stop him from continuing to pester Thing 2 AND Mom & Dad? Nope. Both boys went to bed without stories last night, and we're grasping at straws trying to figure out what to do. He's going to his doctor soon; I think mom's gonna ask for a referral to a counselor or therapist. Not sure how she's going to be able to discuss this with our doctor with Thing 1 sitting right there with her, but that's coming up next week, so I guess we'll see...
I thought of chalking all this up to the whole sibling rivalry thing, but he bugs mom and dad just as much. Perhaps he lashes out at us for giving him a little brother?
We (the parents) definitely have to remain consistent and follow through on any rewards or punishments.
Weekdays usually cause less problems than weekends (due to boredom at home, maybe?), so hopefully this week will see him earn the vacation again...
the Dad
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