So far so good

I mentioned our new tactic of a beating for Bailey a few days ago.  That night Bo got home and we just went with it.  What can it hurt right?  We're at our last idea so let's jump into it.

When we told him our plan, he was all ok let's do it.  He seemed excited to bag up his toys. 

Until he was in the middle of it and it hit him what that really meant.  Then he began the 'I want toys everyday' and 'I want all of my toys' and 'I don't like this new plan of yours it makes me so mad'.

And our answer was the same every time.  You chose this, we warned you and you continued to be bad and get worse.  You want your things back, be good, end of story.

He calmed down until bedtime, when he all of a sudden decided he needed his stuffed animal to sleep with.  He's gone months without needing something, then he has a phase where he does.  So we told him, as mean as this sounds, he can't have it until he gets a smiley face at school.  That we know he can sleep without it, and he'll be just fine.  It hurt to see him crying, literally crying tears and not that fake cry that drives me INSANE.  But we stuck to the rule and marched him back to bed.

We totally expected him to be horrible the next day, had prepared ourselves for a total meltdown.  But he surprised us and got a smiley face at school.  I figured after school he'd really go crazy since he had nothing to play with and the rule is he reads, writes, colors or draws if he has no toys.  But again he didn't, although he did whine about it a little, he didn't go crazy like he has done. 

It's now day three, and so far he's improving.  MAJORLY.  He still argues a little when we ask him to do things or get on to him, but he doesn't scream and throw the horrible fits anymore.  We make him get dressed in the mornings before he can have breakfast and it has made our mornings so much better.  He is actually excited about getting his smiley face so he can get something back for it.  And we are making a big deal about how great he's being.

I know it's only day three, and that there is always that point where the newness wears off he gets sick of it and things will go down hill.  We expect that, we can't prevent it.  But this is the first time he's improved this soon after we've changed up the rules.  It gives us hope.