Time For Different Tactics

I think I've mentioned before that I found this incredibly effective way of encouraging Aaron to put away his own toys. Anything that he leaves behind, I put away for him, on top of the fridge and he doesn't get it back until tomorrow.

So far, it has worked great. But, like everything else in these toddler lives, I've got to find a new way of persuading.

Several weeks ago, when I went to put something on top of the fridge, he started saying "Hakuna Matata. It means no worries. I'll just play with it tomorrow".

I knew it was starting to lose its effectiveness. I tried to milk it for a few more weeks worth of toy cleanup (and other good behavior) by taking a favorite toy instead of the toys that were not picked up.

Finally, this week, there are two train sets, including the rails, on top of the fridge. And, nobody pestering me to bring them down. He even tried offering me things to put up there just so he didn't need to pick them up!

Some days I think he's on the cusp of willingly and happily picking up his toys, he does do that fairly often, but other days......

Its not only picking up toys, I was using that particular strategy for all sorts of misbehavior (tantrums, running around during meals, etc). I need something new.

I remember being chased around with a rattan cane when I was a kid. Those whacks from the thin (and frayed) cane stung like crazy but they seemed to work. All my mother needed to do was look at the cane and we'd behave. I'm not going to say "never" but I don't think I'll be using that with Aaron. We never retaliated but I think Aaron will probably prove to me that "violence breeds violence". He's hasn't acted that way yet but sometimes, I hear him say that he's going to snatch something from somebody else or smack them or something else similar.

Overall, he's still a lovable little boy - helpful, funny, curious and concerned. I know everyone needs to be naughty sometimes in order to grow up. Reasoning and preparation or expectation setting seem to work if I lay enough "groundwork". I'm just cracking my head over what to try next for those out-of-hand times.

Any ideas? What do you do? What did your parents do to you?