Spare the rod and spoil the child?

Given Ella's parentage it always a matter of WHEN naughty and cunning showed up. The time is well and truly here, although some would call it 'exploring her surroundings' why does if feel like all out war. She is constantly 'exploring' new ways to push my buttons with obvious ease.

Most days I can laugh off all attempts to destroy potplants, the resetting of all appliances, surfaces cleared of clutter, broken and smashed irreplaceable objects, cat food spreaded liberally over kitchen, toilet paper from one end of the house to the other. Most of the time you can blame it all on yourself for letting these things happen, I should have been more watchful.

The there are the days when you are not at the top of your game, feeling unwell and you could stubbornly choose to stand your ground rather than choose your battles. To smack or not to smack is the question?

As a overly smacked child it is always my first reaction to want to disipline my offspring with a firm whack on the hand. I have often said it did not hurt me as a child, perhaps the damage done is in my reaction to want to hit my child.

STOP has been working effectively for the last few months but now does not quite have the same impact. At the moment I am trying to teach Ella that when the animals are in their bed they are to be left well alone. She is so rough and it is only a matter of when the cat or dog will next strike. As I said STOP has been working perfectly, when that failed I have picked her up and placed her in her bedroom. Many tears. Now I say STOP, she looks at me and reaches over and grabs at the cat and tries to get as many pokes in the eye in before I get to her. I give her a smack on the hand(she laughs), pick her up and carry her to the bedroom. She now plays in her room and no tears. What to do???

I am currently reading a couple of books on the subject and find it as fun as chewing tinfoil as I am so not in to airy fairy bullocks.

I guess from here on in it will be difficult at times and everyday she will throw a new groove into the mix just incase I get too used to something. I guess at the moment she is too young to voice how she is feeling or explain the method to her madness.

By gum she has a hell of a temper on her. She has just started to 'Play'(which is so cute) she has this phone she talks into and then holds it out to you like 'its for you' I speak into it and give it back, on about the tenth phone call for me I say "No honey it is for YOU, you talk on the phone" God damn the reaction is like an explosion, tears, back arching as she really is trying to say the phone is not for her.

I no longer want to play that game.