Impulse Control With a Side of Charm

Last week Eric and I attended our first parent-teacher conference for Jack. Despite getting very positive feedback overall, I had to laugh when I saw the first written comment on his progress report..."He is confident in his abilities, but needs to work on his impulse control".

According to Wikipedia, "impulsivity is a personality trait characterized by the inclination of an individual to initiate behavior without adequate forethought as to the consequences of their actions, acting on the spur of the moment." Sounds like a typical 3 year old, right?

Believe me, I wish I only knew how to effectively teach him how to work on this! He is full of impulses that need controlling these days. Two that stand out in a more funny way are peeing in underwear instead of on the potty and incessantly interrupting adult conversations.

Yesterday I got a call from preschool just before Jack's pick up time. He had peed through his regular outfit (a first for him, believe it or not) and then peed again through his backup outfit as he was waiting to be picked up. So I guess this means he is having a hard time controlling his impulse to pee. Fortunately for me, Crystal was the lucky one to retrieve Jack. Gotta love carpool! I called her to give her the heads up since I knew she was well on her way to school and it was too late to give her another outfit. I reassured her that he probably wasn't that wet. Apparently he was soaked, so Crystal dug deep and outfitted him with Kylie's clothes. He walked into the house wearing his original shirt choice from the morning and Kylie's black leggings (commando style).

I was internally flustered by these events, but was careful not to chastise him for his accident(s). Admittedly I was even a little proud of myself for remaining visibly unstressed. Usually this is the kind of thing that stresses me out. I have spent way more time assisting Jack with potty issues since he became potty trained than I ever did changing diapers. He always wants me with him when he goes, and only likes to use the facilities in his own home, which is why he tries to hold it as long as he can at school.

As we sat down to eat lunch, he mentioned casually that he had a time out at school that morning for disrupting circle time. Since it's a rarity for Jack to get time outs at school, I decided to dig through his bag to read his teacher's comments about the morning. Upon digging, I discovered a bag containing a special Mother's Day gift that Jack had made for me - a special jar adorned with lots of glitter that is apparently supposed to keep my rings safe. He immediately turned on the charm with a sweet little smile and was glowing with pride.

As I pulled it out, I suddenly remembered the first Mother's Day present that Sophie made at the same age, and I remembered how fleeting these early years are. She's about to start Kindergarten in August. And she has really good impulse control for the most part, so I know that Jack will eventually catch on! For now, I just need to love ALL of who he is right now, because the day will come all too soon that I look back on all of these moments that at the time seem frustrating but in reality are endearing.