[Electra375]

My 2 1/2 yr old broke Baby Jesus, a donkey and a wise man from our soap stone nativity set. IT is NOT replacable here in the US, it came from Latin America where I am from. I'm really kind of upset, but crying isn't going to fix it.
What is a mother to do???? I was in another room, I can't be on top of him 24 /7. I heard 'hi,yah' a couple of times and I went to go see what he was doing and low and behold he had decapitated Baby Jesus!!! (okay, I can't even write that without laughing to the point of tears)

I changed his pooy diaper and put him in his crib and told him he had to stay there b/c he broke Baby Jesus. Is he going to go to church next Sunday and say I broke Baby Jesus's head? I didn't know what else to do w him. What is the punishment for breaking something that isn't replacable??? I honestly don't know how to get him to understand that breaking things is not acceptable behavior. This is an one going problem.

Well, our nativity scene will be glued back together by me later this afternoon. I think we will have to re-seal it with something b/c moist air breaks down the stone. What will my dh do when he gets home???

We just can't have nice things... it wasnice, but it is no longer...

 

[Colorful~Mama]

nods. the nativity goes up on the shelf over the fireplace with our 16mo old. I'm sorry yours is broken

you can have nice things, but they must be up very very high for another few years. he is a baby. he doesn't understand. its really not his fault. All nice things should be up high and out of reach. Get him his own nativity to play with ... the little people nativity comes to mind.

hang in there, but please don't be mad at him for being 2. I wouldn't punish him - he acted totally within normal parameters for his age.

hugs...

 

[Electra375]

It is as high as we can get it up, he is a climber. I know he must of thought it was fun to play with from the 'hi yah' coming from the LRM before I got there. It's still sad, but not worth crying over or anything. IT's all just stuff.

I have to laugh or else I'll get really upset.

And the baby likes the ornaments on the tree

... but we don't have much low down for her to hurt herself with or break unreplaceables.

You know the little people nativity is a good idea, it's plastic!!!! I didn't see it while I was out the other night, but I'll put it on my list to look.

 

[Laurel]

We have two unbreakable Nativities--they aren't too hard to find out there. In fact, my expensive Fontanini Nativity set is unbreakable. We put the one cheaper set right under the Christmas tree so ds can play with it any time he wants. My sil found a pattern for a set made all out of cloth and that's what she uses for her kids. My dream is to someday have one of those Waldorf wood Nativities. It's very important to me that ds be able to play with a Nativity because I think it will help him learn the story and learn that for our family, the main focus of Christmas is on the Baby Jesus.

I wouldn't punish him either. I'm sure he doesn't set out to break things; it just happens in the course of his exploring. He can't understand his own strength.