Does anyone else have to CONSTANTLY tell their kids not to rock back on their chairs? Honestly, I remind my son (yeah, the nearly-12 year old!) at LEAST a couple times every single hour to not tip his chair over! Some days it's as often as every couple MINUTES! I'm seriously worried that he's going to break the chairs. He HAS tipped over & cracked his head on everything from the back of the sofa to the corner of the wall & the stationary bike, but he still does it. I'm at a loss. He knows he shouldn't, but he still does it! DH & I have even tried telling him he can't sit on chairs for the rest of the day (has to sit on the floor or stand) when we catch him more than twice in an hour... but that is almost a game to him, so I don't think it's working. I've seen a one-legged stool in a few Montessori websites that are supposed to promote posture & not rocking your chair, and at this point I'm considering asking my dad if he can make us one. My only other idea is to hunt on Craigslist for some monstrously heavy chair, and make him sit in that instead of our cheapity-wobbly ones. Does anyone else deal with this? What do you DO? I am just so frustrated. He's either going to break the chair, (which we really can't afford to replace) or seriously injure himself... and I really don't want to see EITHER happen! love, mom
Yes, we're forever telling our three children (a 7 year old and a set of 4 year old twins) to stop rocking in their chairs. They've even fallen before, you'd think they'd learn their lesson but no! They still keep on doing it, we still keep on lecturing, but it's just one of those things. In one ear, out the other. I'm sure I did the same as a child too. ~SweetLilMama~
haha, I used to do that all the time, it rubbed off on my brother as well, but he stopped, even before he fell and hes only 7 I think most kids do this, I've even caught Brad doing it haha
Yup. I think it must be especially a boy thing. I don't know what it is about tipping chairs that's so fun, but when I was living at home, we couldn't make it through dinner without hearing "four on the floor" at least 20 times, usually directed at my little brother. My parents solved the problem by getting rid of the chairs and putting benches on either side of the table. I don't think that's why they got them, but as a byproduct, he couldn't tip his chair anymore because 2 other people were sitting on it too.
Kids are learning machines. Let them learn about gravity. They'll learn quick if you let them. Have faith, and keep an ice pack handy just in case. x
i did this constantly when i was younger. its weird how powerful the urge to tip a chair is. my first grade teacher had the right idea. the second time i tipped my chair back, she would take it away and i had to kneel on the floor. try it, it really works!
When my brother fell back and broke a 12 year old boy sized hole in the wall and spend 2 years paying off the damages, he learned fast.
My dp tipped in his chair and fell through a window when he was @ four. He still has a good 4 inch scar on his arm. Maybe set him in the chair and tip it (controlled) and show him how he could easily get hurt. Don't let him fall, but simulate the chair tipping over? YKWIM?
I've stopped telling my kids to be careful with the chairs. I figure they'll learn when they get hurt LOL I swear I'm a good mom. I just know they won;t die if they fall off their chair
Oh wow... at least I'm not alone, huh? He understands about gravity, objects in motion & even about how his genetic disorder is more likely to make him bruise/break bones than the average kid, and he has hurt himself SEVERAL times already... nothing too serious, but some pretty large "goose egg" bumps to the head. He still does it. A friend on another board suggested a bench as well. I've got a squat little ottoman here that's pretty hard to tip over because of its shape, and I'm going to try having him sit on that instead of chairs for awhile. Honestly, I wouldn't worry nearly so much but he keeps falling - and I'm truly worried that he's going to cause more than just a bump on his head one of these times! Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one going through this! love, mom
Hmmm. That goose egg bump on the head comment triggered an old memory. I was about 5 years old, and my mother let me go into a house of mirrors by myself. The ones with the maze floorplan and clear acrylic walls. I did pretty good for about 30 seconds. Got to the center of the house. But when I got ready to leave, BAM!!! I turned around and and ran smack into one of the walls. Stunned me a bit. I got up walked about 3 feet, BAM!!!. Smacked the otherside of my forehead. At that point I just sat down and started bawling. Had enough. My mother and an attendent had to come in and get me. Had a big goose egg on each side of my forehead. x
i was raised that,, if i got busted tipping the chair i had to sit on the floor... broke me fairly quick
I'm not a parent [yet and not for a while lol] but I have an idea that could work as a last resort. I think there's something joyous about the feeling of having the back rest to rock back on with the back legs and everything. A stool, however, without the comfort of a back rest, would remove the urge to rock and would probably feel very unstable, cos if he tried to rock he'd probably just fall backwards straight away which removes the tantalising prospect of rocking in the first place. Since your supreme parental discipline is being cast aside in telling him to NOT rock the chair, use it somehow to invent the psychological idea of 'The Bad Stool' or something, if he rocks his chair then chairs are banned for a minimum of 3 hours (less/more depending on your mercy) and replaced with a tall stool while his siblings (and you) get to stay on chairs. This loss of chair and sense of inadequecy will hopefully make him do anything to stay on the chair, maybe even not rock on it. If he persists when his chair is restored then the chair gets taken away for an even longer period of time, like a day or something. Be very stern whilst explaining the rules, make him know you are serious. Hope this little invention may be of some use lol. I just hope 12 is still old enough to be captured by a scheme like this. Good luck!
Im 14 and I felt like reading the parenting section of this site for some reason. Dont worry he's normal. I do that to, and I get yelled at. And then thirty seconds later I do it again. It's just more comfortable and fun. :lol:
