Grandparent visit and Nail Biting

Bubby and Papa are in town this weekend. They come to town every year for a lecture series, and we are enjoying having them around. The kids have been having so much fun playing baby snakes with the Papa, hearing stories, running around the house and just getting grandparent attention.

Here are some pictures.

Bubby trying out my new Fit Desk exercise bike!

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Nail Biting

Mateo has been having a hard time lately with nail biting. I think it is a nervous habit of his, but the other day when I was putting him to sleep, he told me, "I'm addicted to biting my nails." (He also told me he was "addicted" to our house . . . so there might be some confusion on what that word means.)

For whatever reason, the nail biting bothers me. And I've been really unsuccessful in getting him to stop. This week I was reading a book that was written for parents, but was recommended by some friends for use in the classroom called Parenting Without Punishment. The book is rather technical, but it has all sorts of practical ideas that really work.

As I was reading the book, I realized that I give Mateo, so much negative feedback for biting his nails. I am constantly saying things like, "Take your hands out of your mouth." Over the course of the past few months, he has been biting his nails more and more.

On top of that Natalia has also started putting her fingers in her mouth to get attention. Clearly, my methods were not working. I was stuck in a cycle. I didn't know what else to do.

Then I read Parenting Without Punishment and realized how much negative feedback I was giving him. I was never praising him when his hands were out of his mouth. And, realistically, most of the time he was doing the right thing.

Once I started ignoring the nail biting, and giving him praise for keeping his fingers dry, he started to turn the corner. Sure, he still bites his nails, but the amount has decreased by a bit. I also feel less frustrated. Once I started praising him, I realized just how much of the time he was doing the right thing. And I was ignoring the right behaviors.

He decided that he wanted blue sparkle nail polish to help him keep his nails dry. So here he is getting his nails painted by Bubby.