"put mommy to sleep"

[heathermarie73]

is there a way to get my son to stop saying "put mommy to sleep" everytime I say something he doesn't like (3 years old)
ie. if I say "don't push your sister" -before he does it. (I am trying use positive statements but it is a slow transistion) Then he says "put mommy to sleep"
I'm not convinced the statement is bad, but wondering if it will stop eventually or if I have to teach him to stop saying it?

[River's mum]

I'm not sure I understand.....

[GoBecGo]

Does he by any chance play up at bedtime and you try to get him to go to sleep...? Or when the baby is crying do you say you have to put her to sleep? I only ask because my DD, when she wants me to be quiet, says "put your thumb in mama!" because i sometimes suggested she puts her thumb in (she's a thumb-sucker) when she's being loud. I stopped doing it and the "put your thumb in!" wore off after about 2 months from when i last said it. Worth a go anyway.

[hibana]

I don't know... my dd (2 1/2) sometimes says "Go sleep!" in similar situations. It's sort of like "go away" to her. She does it less and less, so it'll probably go away on it's own.

[Sasharna]

It'll stop eventually. I think most three year olds go through this stage of wanting to boss around parents with the most powerful language they know. Mine says the police are going to take me away. Oh, and he's not going to be my friend anymore.

[heathermarie73]

Originally Posted by Sasharna

It'll stop eventually. I think most three year olds go through this stage of wanting to boss around parents with the most powerful language they know. Mine says the police are going to take me away. Oh, and he's not going to be my friend anymore.

That really made me laugh
This is basically what he is doing. I think it started around night time I would tell him I was going to "put <dd> to sleep" then when ever he wanted my attention he would say "put <dd> to sleep" - so he could have my full attention. Then when he got agitated near bedtime, I think I started saying that it was time to put him to sleep or for him to go to sleep I don't remember. It then evolved to "put <dd> to sleep" when she cried, took his toys, or bother him and now when I do something he doesn't like he says "put mommy to sleep"
glad to hear it will wear off.

[TiredX2]

I could totally picture this situation! Basically DS is saying, "I don't like what I'm hearing, you should go take a nap so I can get on with my life." I would probably react totally over the top, like, "Yeah, I get to take a nap. Nappy time" then I'd immediately shut my eyes and fake snoring. Now, my kids know that you can't blame people for what they do while they're asleep (like if they kick in the bed) so when I do my fake sleeping I usually start groping around and tickling them. Then, when they scream, "Wake up" I'll pretend to be startled awake and say something like, "Why are you being so loud? I was trying to nap."

Most kids we know *love* my sleeping thing. They will immediately lay down too, making snorting snoring noises and rolling around.

It doesn't exactly fix the problem you're dealing with, but it might help you and DS feel better about the situation--- turn it into a funny game you play while he is feeling bossed around.