OMG!!! My Only Child Talks Too Much!

That's my oldest son, Jai. He's not an only child now (we had two more sons after his 6th birthday), but he was back then. And he talks entirely too much. My husband teases that he starts off every sentence with "Well, ya know," as the precursor to an almost-fact. (Because 1/2 the time he doesn't know what he's talking about)

It could be anything. He talks about animals, trains, cars, how he feels at any given moment. And the whys. Don't start with the "whys." Why this, why that. But, my question has been "Why does he talk sooooo much?" Well it turns out, his talking is a direct reflection of the amount of time that we spent as a duo. Before my husband and the two children we spawned together, it was just me and Jai. And, it turns out I kind of encouraged all that chatting. When it was just the two of us, we both talked a lot. Since he was the only person I was a round 24/7 we kinda served as each others confidants. And I love that about our relationship. But, know that he's a tween and his talking is more about giving a rebuttal to whatever request his father and I make, we've had to establish some boundaries for Jai.

Here they are.1. No Sass Talk, Did Ya Here MeThis one is a biggie. Just because you can talk doesn't mean you should. Especially if said talking is in response to a demand that was not meant to be a request. As Millie told her daughter in "The Help," NO SASS TALK. (meaning no talking back). Jai is not allowed to have the last word no matter what the conversation, or argument, is about. My boy is super intelligent, and I appreciate that. However, respect cannot be forgotten in favor of intelligence.2. Get a RoomNow I'm not saying lock your kid in the room. The beginnings of independence for many children comes with their ability to be in their room alone. In Jai's case, as long as he's not on punishment he has a fully stocked room. Minus devices that can access the Internet, Jair has a television, Playstation, all of the blocks and action figures he can handle and his many science experiments that he creates in his own time. Giving your tween, or even a little one, some in-room entertainment can help them value their own company. In addition, that can lead to some quiet time for you.3. Get a HobbyI previously wrote an article on "7 Hobbies You can do With Your Kid." So, check that out and pick one. Jai's hobby is gardening and rather than spending his afternoon chatting it up with me, he goes to his little patch of land and plots what he wants to do next. As long as the hobby is something your kid wants to do, he/she won't even want your help. Your kid will want to accomplish it on their own. This, of course, cuts down on the amount of time they spend talking-it-up with you.4.