Armpit Kid/Silent Treatment Update

Wow... My goal was just to stop the downward spiral of unhappy sibling interaction, but we reaped even greater benefits from the Armpit kid/Silent Treatment experiment.

Number One: The big kids actually cooperated with The Silent Treatment, and Mary left them alone, too... go figure. I am especially happy with how Pete has really gone along with it, and boy has that made a difference. I do not have to spend HOURS of my day trying to get the kids to leave each other alone!

TWO: The decrease in stress for everyone, me included, has been fantastic. Because of that, my happiness/optimism quotient has improved daily. I no longer dread getting out of bed in the morning and facing another day.

THREE: My attitude toward Mary is changing for the better. I have been praying daily for God to give me more understanding of Mary .... for Him to give me a love for her that will enable me to pick appropriate parenting techniques. Techniques aimed at helping her heal rather than punishment/consequence things that have not worked, but increased the problems. He has answered my prayer (Thank you Lord) and I daily realize that I really do love this little girl and I care deeply that she learns how to function in a family.

FOUR: Mary has had some pretty darn good days. She is coming around I think, turning a corner maybe... I have witnessed her behaving in ways that are NOT manipulative. She is feeling more secure with the decrease of tension. I am sure most people would still think we are having crazy, way out behavior from her... and they would be right... but I do have every hope that things are changing!