Parenting Preschoolers (3-5) Support Group
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Marlow is pretty well behaved. Generally we tell her something is not allowed and she won't try it again. But the nail polish has been hell!
First, she got a bunch of tiny polishes for Christmas. We allowed her to keep them in a bag in her room up on a high shelf. She knew better then to touch them and we weren't concerned. WRONG. She monkey climbed up there about two weeks ago and got into them during quiet time....spilling a bright orange one all over the carpet.
We explained that nail polish is not to be used by kids. We took the polishes out of her room and put them in the washroom with the rest of the ones we have.
About four days later. She goes to the washroom during quiet time...not unusual. Upon asking to go the washroom again ten minutes later I knew something was up. Go into her room.....she had snuck a green polish into her room and painted her plastic doll house! Then put her favorite blanket over it to 'hide' what she had done resulting in nail polish all over that.
Once again explained why it was wrong. This time I put some nail polish remover on a rag and she was made to scrub her doll house. I knew the polish was not coming off after five minutes but made her scrub for twenty. She was upset but said she understood. Lesson learned? Nope.
About four days ago she sneaks silver nail polish out of the washroom when her daddy is up with her. (my day to sleep in so I was out cold). And daddy is very unobservant. She paints her $30 tap shoes silver! Inside and outside the shoe. And she hid it on the bottom shelf of the living room end table, shoved towards the back. But I keep my filing for the dayhome there and was reaching for my hours book when I noticed them. So she was well aware of the bad.
Then I'm sad to admit I lost it. I told her we were done, throwing out all the nail polish! She cried, I calmed down, and amended to taking it all away. I felt pretty bad. We put it on the closet shelf in our room. All of it (there's alot).
Now at least four times a day I find her sneaking around in our room looking for the polish. What is going on?? And yesterday, after a futile attmept to find it, she took stickers out of her sticker book....it's been in her room for over a year with no wrong doings...and stuck them all over her bed frame. Took her and I almost an hour to get them all off once I went to go wake her from her nap.
What is going on? My daughter is not this outright disobedient and disruptive. I've never had to tell her more then once, let alone numerous times, to not do something!! She LOVES to paint, but she has an easel, paints, brushes, apron and we keep the craft closet supplied with wooden things and ceramic things for her to paint. She just has to ask. I mean, she will sit and paint for three hours or more if she was given the time. Why would she chose nail polish and everything she can get her hands on? And she KNOWS it's wrong!
I'm very fed up at this point. lol.
First, she got a bunch of tiny polishes for Christmas. We allowed her to keep them in a bag in her room up on a high shelf. She knew better then to touch them and we weren't concerned. WRONG. She monkey climbed up there about two weeks ago and got into them during quiet time....spilling a bright orange one all over the carpet.
We explained that nail polish is not to be used by kids. We took the polishes out of her room and put them in the washroom with the rest of the ones we have.
About four days later. She goes to the washroom during quiet time...not unusual. Upon asking to go the washroom again ten minutes later I knew something was up. Go into her room.....she had snuck a green polish into her room and painted her plastic doll house! Then put her favorite blanket over it to 'hide' what she had done resulting in nail polish all over that.
Once again explained why it was wrong. This time I put some nail polish remover on a rag and she was made to scrub her doll house. I knew the polish was not coming off after five minutes but made her scrub for twenty. She was upset but said she understood. Lesson learned? Nope.
About four days ago she sneaks silver nail polish out of the washroom when her daddy is up with her. (my day to sleep in so I was out cold). And daddy is very unobservant. She paints her $30 tap shoes silver! Inside and outside the shoe. And she hid it on the bottom shelf of the living room end table, shoved towards the back. But I keep my filing for the dayhome there and was reaching for my hours book when I noticed them. So she was well aware of the bad.
Then I'm sad to admit I lost it. I told her we were done, throwing out all the nail polish! She cried, I calmed down, and amended to taking it all away. I felt pretty bad. We put it on the closet shelf in our room. All of it (there's alot).
Now at least four times a day I find her sneaking around in our room looking for the polish. What is going on?? And yesterday, after a futile attmept to find it, she took stickers out of her sticker book....it's been in her room for over a year with no wrong doings...and stuck them all over her bed frame. Took her and I almost an hour to get them all off once I went to go wake her from her nap.
What is going on? My daughter is not this outright disobedient and disruptive. I've never had to tell her more then once, let alone numerous times, to not do something!! She LOVES to paint, but she has an easel, paints, brushes, apron and we keep the craft closet supplied with wooden things and ceramic things for her to paint. She just has to ask. I mean, she will sit and paint for three hours or more if she was given the time. Why would she chose nail polish and everything she can get her hands on? And she KNOWS it's wrong!
I'm very fed up at this point. lol.
sigmund2
Smell is powerful. Maybe the nail polish smell is a bit enticing her? I know kids can get hooked on the scent of permanent marker.
joleneLS
Since I posted this we have had a permenant marker incident and an eyeliner incident. I frisk her when she leaves the washroom now. :(
sigmund2
I mean " enticing to her."
sigmund2
Oh wow. That's heavy duty. Mine scribbles with marker and crayon on things. We hide the permanent markers and she dies not go looking for them.
deleted_user
Well I must say you had it easy so far :) No child can be an angel and she's at the age when she starts rebelling and can do things herself and thinks she can think through things on her own. It's the independence :) First, is there a way for you to let her use nail polish in some circumstance? Like buy one for kids that's chemical free? Or put it on once a month - I think that wouldn't do any harm. If the answer is no then sadly you have to throw it away or hide it so she can't find it. She obviously finds it a "forbidden fruit" which makes her want it more. She's exacting her revenge on you with stickers and markers :) Totally natural. I mean look at it from her point of view. There's something shiny she wants badly and you won't give it. She thinks you're being too bossy and she doesn't believe your reasons for not giving it. So the next thing is to try and get it anyways :)
deleted_user
Also you could try to explain to her WHY she can't have it. I find a slight exaggeration works well for my 4 year old. Something like "If a kid puts this on they get very sick and have to go to hospital and stay there without mom and dad".
sigmund2
I meant to say she DOES go looking for them. The other day, she threw a stepstool down the stairs so that she could stand on it and get to markers. When she got them she scribbled on the pole in the basement. Ugh!
deleted_user
Sounds exactly like my 4 year old nephew. He is a terror.. He has used crayon all over my walls, the play kitchen, my daughters new art desk... AND he used permanent marker all over my sisters bed and walls. My girls are 3 and almost 6.. Never have had many issues with my girls with crayons, nail polish, markers etc. I make it very clear to my kids they are not to be played with and if they do, I make them clean it and then depending on what happened they will either go to time out or I will take away a privilege.. And its been toys, tv etc. Boy did they get the message fast after not playing with toys for a day or 2. I do not have a lot of nail polish laying around my house. What I have is kept in my closet at the very top and I only bring it when I am watching her. If she does it again, I would throw out the polish (maybe just the one she is using or all) with her right in front of you and explain you did not listen to mommy and now this is your consequence for your action... Good luck!!
deleted_user
I sounds a lot like what Sigmund was saying...that the smell is enticing her and she is just wanting to use it to smell...especially if you are having permenant marker incidents now. My 4 year old got into nail polish once and painted his arms with the whole bottle with his sister and became a zombie....they had a thing about coloring on themselves and still do. If it is a smell thing you might get her something non toxic that smells good in her room that she is allowed to breath in, like a freshener of some sort. Hope that helps and good luck
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