[grumpybear]

I have an almost 2 year old.<br>
A few months ago, I bought him a set of play-doh (just the clay, 12 different colors). He really enjoys playing with them but still hasn't quite gotten the whole concept of putting it away and putting a lid over it so it doesn't dry out. I guess this is to be expected so I really don't mind.<br>
A week ago, we got him another play-doh set, this time with the gadgets (scissors, shapes, etc). With it came 4 bigger tubs of play-doh. So today as he was playing with it (clay and gadgets), he wanted to open one of the bigger tubs. Because he already had opened tubs (from the previous set that I bought), I reminded him of it and said that maybe we should play with the already opened ones. He seemed ok with it.<br>
He is napping now and as I am putting the play-doh away, I'm kind of reflecting to myself and thinking, "was I too controlling about not opening the newer play-doh?". It's his anyway so should I just have let him open the rest of it?<br>
This may sound a bit trivial but I find myself on the more controlling side of the spectrum so I tend to keep watch and flag myself for behaviors like this.<br>
Any thoughts?

 

[Hoopin' Mama]

I don't know, I would probably have done the same thing, unless the bigger tubs had different colors. I don't think it was too controlling. I would put the bigger tubs out of site though. I think it's not a bad thing to gradually understand that we don't have to go through everything at once. We won't open new finger paints until the last ones are almost all gone, and ds is really eyeing those new paint containers.<br><br>
I find I often have to stand back and let ds play with a puzzle or something his own way instead of trying to show him the "right" way. I am definitely too structured.

 

[A&A]

I vote yes, that was too controlling.

 

[HarperRose]

Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. It does get to be a pain in the butt w/ the play doh all over the place. Let the original one get all gross and nasty and then you'll have fresh new playdoh.

 

[Boot]

I don't think you were too controlling. A 2 year old can't be expected to know that it would be wasteful to open a new container before the old one is finished. They need guidance to come to that realization. You did fine.

 

[pauletoy]

Don't be so hard on yourself. He's only 2. I doubt he will remember that you didn't let him open the new stuff even at the end of nap time.<br><br>
Give yourself a break mama.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink">

 

[alegna]

I think this is one of those situations that could go either way. If ds didn't *really* care about opening the new ones, no harm done. If it was clearly important to him, yeah, it's too big of a thing to make a fight out of.<br><br>
-Angela

 

[pigpokey]

It's no more controlling than me saying, "You already have an open box of cereal right there. Don't open another one, keep it fresh and finish the open box."<br><br>
As to the "it's his" property argument, I'd tread carefully on giving kids a big sense of ownership of stuff like this. (1) he didn't pay for it specifically and it's a perishable / consumable type good (2) he's not a bachelor living in his own loft apartment, he's a family member (3) if you have more kids that is really going to bite you on the butt and (4) he doesn't clean it up -- not out of the carpet, not back in the jars, etc.<br><br>
Also even if it is "theirs" I will take something away if they try to destroy it and I will give them guidance on caring for their things. I do not want them to think they can be wasteful -- an easy conclusion with the amount of abundance they have. Caring for their environment in all ways is part of our values.<br><br>
My three and four year olds have some kind of personal interest in their bags/purses, wallets, jewelry, and much less so, clothes and shoes. Toys, not quite so much.

 

[SquishyKitty]

We did the same thing, because otherwise DS would have about 10 tubs of open play doh and not really use more than one or two at a time. Or else he'd get it all out, make a monumental mess and we'd have a hard time cleaning it up.<br><br>
So, we limited it to 2 or 3 open tubs and everybody was happy.

 

[ann_of_loxley]

I dont think thats too controlling - he was fine with your explanation.<br><br>
I only let my son open one tub at a time. Actually saying ' I only let' is a bit wrong. We just only have one tub open at a time, there is no 'controlling' going on there - because I know from experience my son gets upset if the colours get mixed. So when he askes for another colour, we simply just put the one we have out away then get another tub out.<br><br>
'Controlling' would be forcing your child to do something they dont want to. Youll know - you will be using a 'firm' voice, and they may become agressive and cry about it - protest about it. Thats when you say 'hey - its their life and their choice'... But if your simple explanation (which in this case seemed to me that you were being resourcful and not wasteful) was good enough for him, how is that controlling? Obviously he trusts you enough to take your word for it and be happy with what he had.

 

[moonshoes]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Justthatgirl</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/10861087"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. It does get to be a pain in the butt w/ the play doh all over the place. Let the original one get all gross and nasty and then you'll have fresh new playdoh.</div>
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I agree. It seems like your explanation was understood and agreed with. BTW, playdough is really easy to make at home and you can add scents to it and it is really fun! Plus, it lasts much longer.<br><br><br><a href="http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/art/playdough061699.html" target="_blank">playdough recipes</a>

 

[OhDang]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>pauletoy</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/10861149"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Don't be so hard on yourself. He's only 2. I doubt he will remember that you didn't let him open the new stuff even at the end of nap time.<br><br>
Give yourself a break mama.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink"></div>
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<br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/yeahthat.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="yeah that">:

 

[Hoopin' Mama]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>moonshoes</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/10863160"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I agree. It seems like your explanation was understood and agreed with. BTW, playdough is really easy to make at home and you can add scents to it and it is really fun! Plus, it lasts much longer.<br><br><br><a href="http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/art/playdough061699.html" target="_blank">playdough recipes</a></div>
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Oh I love making the kool aid play dough! It smells so much better than store playdoh, and ds loves watching me make it.

 

[MCR]

I do that too. Dd gets to open the already in use tubs and once they are gone we open more.

 

[cherimoya]

Don't beat yourself up about that; it all sounds pretty simple, considering he didn't mind anyway. Personally I'd do the opposite and we'd go crazy with all the playdough, but that doesn't mean it's the *best* thing to do either! On the parenting issue about watching yourself etc, a book that was good for me was Barbara Coloroso's "Kids are worth it". Great book. I was worried because my Dad was controlling & uber-strict and my Mom was initially a screamer & then became more of a whatever-goes kind of parent once they split up when I was 12. So, I try not to over-analyze how I parent too much, but I do try to be very *aware* of how I parent; so I get what u mean!

 

[grumpybear]

Thanks for all the input! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"><br>
Will definitely check out the playdough recipes and the book reco (yes, overanalysis is my middle name <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngtongue.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Stick Out Tongue">).<br><br>
For the homemade playdough, do you discard them after a day? How long do they typically last?

 

[milkybean]

So here's where my overriding philosophy comes into play. The only mainstream thing I do is pay attention to age recommendations for toys.<br><br>
For Playdoh itself, that's 2 and up. So by my standards, your guy is too young for it to begin with.<br><br>
The toys that go with playdoh are generally 3 and up.<br><br>
Therefore, by going with those age recommendations, I saved myself that hassle entirely.<br><br>
Plus, at 2, he was putting things in his mouth and I haven't a clue as to what is in playdoh, so there's just no way I was doing that. And I wasn't into the crafty stuff like making my own, so I just didn't. We did other things instead.<br><br>
But now that he's almost 4, I have my eye on that octopus toy, and I'm going to check out that koolaid homemade playdoh recipe!<br><br>
but anyway, age recommendations are based on *something*, and me being me I wonder if maybe that's why the recommendation is for over 2, so that they are capable of listening a bit more, following instructions a bit more easily, etc.

 

[mamallama]

I keep the homemade play dough in a zip lock bag.<br><br>
I throw it out when it gets gunky, hard, or starts to smell funny.<br><br>
The batch on the counter right now is more than a month old (made it just before Valentine's day) and it's fine. It hasn't been played with a lot, though.<br><br>
I make play dough when we make cookies. Kids tend to abuse the cookie dough, and since I'm fussy (and controlling) about baking projects, I offer play dough as an alternative. They can roll it out as many times as they want, and our cookies stay nice and tender!

 

[siobhang]

we have a rule - no more than 2 colors of playdoh out at a time (one per child).<br><br>
This is because I really hate it when the colors get mixed together. Sorting them into their own colors is a PITA. Life is too short, frankly.<br><br>
And if I let my kids open every tub, we would have no playdoh PDQ.<br><br>
Yeah, my 2 1/2 year old protests, but he protests at everything when he doesn't get his own way. But I found a big ball of dried playdoh in the cupboard the other day that i had to throw out (what happens when we don't watch him too closely).<br><br>
I love the idea of making playdoh. Our preschool only makes playdoh and they scent it sometimes with vanilla or orange. Makes the art room smell so yummy.

 

[onlyzombiecat]

I don't think it is too controlling to limit the amount of playdoh that is out at one time. You could offer a small portion out of the larger tub if it is a different color.<br>
My dd would have been (and was) happy with a single color at that age.<br><br>
Our homemade playdough lasts awhile in a tightly covered container or baggie. Several weeks depending on how dd plays with it. When it looks or smells gross toss it.