Am I setting limits of a stick in the mud?

beachgirl1977 · February 2013

Ds is 6 and full of energy. That's fine with me.... He is a boy who needs to run it off and I try to find ways to do that. However he is also very silly. Making up silly words and repeating them over and over in an annoying way during lunch, breakfast. He makes up silly songs and sings them in a silly voce over and over. Then his little brother catches on and the 2 get crazy!!! Of course sillies are fine sometimes and I don't expect them to sit silent all day but once the sillies start so seem to stop listening and can't settle down.

So am I teaching self control and limits by making them stop after a certain time or a big fat strikes in the mud. I like fun as much as the. Next person but more of a fun organized purposeful play not racing and screaming

LuckyDad · February 2013

I don't have a child as old as yours, so I'm pretty much talking out of my butt here:

I think it's probably good to encourage times for crazy silliness and times for being more polite and proper. 6 is probably (?) old enough to start teaching table manners. It's not a horrible jumping off point to encourage a certain level of proper decorum during meals at the table.

Of course, it's also important to encourage play and creativity at other times. Presumably that would then give you the credibility to suggest things like "You can sing your song after we finish lunch." I'm sure there are going to be times where their play drives you batty, but you just have to grit your teeth and bear it.

aglenn · February 2013

I have no real advice, but my DD is the same way and I hate the thought of this still going on at age 6...blah. The girl never sits still or stops talking/singing/babbling EVER. We are working on manners at the table and taking turns speaking, but not getting much of anywhere with our efforts. I have been telling myself she will grow out of it, but I may go insane first.

Snapdragon750 · February 2013

I think you can trust yourself to be a good judge of whether the silliness is getting out of hand or not. 6 is old enough to understand the difference between having fun and being "wild," and old enough to learn when silly time is appropriate and when it's not (at the dinner table).

Plus, no grown-up can maintain their sanity around that all day. It's okay for you to call a temporary halt to any behavior that is driving you batty even if it's for no other reason than because it's annoying you. That's actually a good lesson to learn anyway because kids will get annoyed with each other at school all the time for singing or some other harmless activity and will be all "stoppppp!" So getting them used to calming down at home at your request is an exercise in respecting others.

His teachers will thank you!

BeachBum73 · February 2013

My 9 year old dd can talk non-stop and has for years. I'm pretty sure she'll stop talking as a tween/teen when we actually want her to talk! I don't think you're being a stick in the mud. Kids always take things too far - God forbid you laugh at something they said or did, they'll bring it up for years and expect the same reaction. For me, when I get annoyed, it needs to stop. Or I'll purposefully distract her with a game on my iPad, cute kittens or something else she likes and she usually stops.

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