• A Place to Start
    • Home
    • How to Use This Website
  • For All Ages!
    • Service Projects for Kids
    • Help the Community
    • Help the Hospital
    • Help the Homeless
    • Help Your Neighbors
    • Help Those with Cancer
    • Help Those with Chronic Illness
  • Kids Do Them!
    • All Acts of Kindness
    • To Do at Home
    • In the neighborhood
    • Material Cost: Free
    • Material Cost: Under $10
  • Don’t Miss This!
    • How Do I Start Serving with My Family?
      • How Do I Start Serving with My Family?
      • Serve with Your Kids in 15 Minutes
    • Family Focused Acts of Kindness
    • Focus on Parenting
    • Service Focused Birthday Party and Acts of Kindness
    • Children’s Books to Teach about Kindness & Service
      • Children’s Books to Teach about Kindness & Service
      • Children’s Book Gallery
    • KID Abolitionist
  • Get Kindness Going
    • Project: When Bad Things Happen
    • Get Involved
    • Speaker Request
  • Get the Story!
    • About Pennies of Time
    • Leadership for Pennies of Time
    • Our Partners
    • How Pennies of Time Started
    • What Others Say About Pennies of Time
  • Connect with Us!
    • Contact Pennies of Time
    • Spread Kindness by Donating to Pennies of Time
  • A Place to Start
    • Home
    • How to Use This Website
  • For All Ages!
    • Service Projects for Kids
    • Help the Community
    • Help the Hospital
    • Help the Homeless
    • Help Your Neighbors
    • Help Those with Cancer
    • Help Those with Chronic Illness
  • Kids Do Them!
    • All Acts of Kindness
    • To Do at Home
    • In the neighborhood
    • Material Cost: Free
    • Material Cost: Under $10
  • Don’t Miss This!
    • How Do I Start Serving with My Family?
      • How Do I Start Serving with My Family?
      • Serve with Your Kids in 15 Minutes
    • Family Focused Acts of Kindness
    • Focus on Parenting
    • Service Focused Birthday Party and Acts of Kindness
    • Children’s Books to Teach about Kindness & Service
      • Children’s Books to Teach about Kindness & Service
      • Children’s Book Gallery
    • KID Abolitionist
  • Get Kindness Going
    • Project: When Bad Things Happen
    • Get Involved
    • Speaker Request
  • Get the Story!
    • About Pennies of Time
    • Leadership for Pennies of Time
    • Our Partners
    • How Pennies of Time Started
    • What Others Say About Pennies of Time
  • Connect with Us!
    • Contact Pennies of Time
    • Spread Kindness by Donating to Pennies of Time
Acts of Kindness
Browse:
  • Home
  • Acts of Kindness
  • The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” Meets, um, Dog Poop?
17May2013

The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” Meets, um, Dog Poop?

by Sheila @ Pennies of Time in Acts of Kindness, Focus on Parenting, Help the Neighbors
Tags: Environment and Animals

Today’s Penny of Time was sooooooooooooooooo difficult.  Contention, arguments, blah, blah, blah.  You know what that is like.

My four year old continued with the whining and arguing.  We continued with the day . . . I went off to a meeting in the evening and came home to the WORST case of “I Wants” that I had ever encountered.

“Give me that . . . .”

“I want that . . . .”

“No, me first . . . .”

My four year old was all about him, which is pretty unusual for him these days.  Worse than that, he was RUDE about it.

So, I sat him down on the couch and we had a chat.

Me:  What are things that are important in our family?

4 Year Old (getting the gist of what I might be saying):  We ask nicely.

Me:  Yes, we ask for things nicely.  What else is important?

4 Year old:  Being nice to brudder.

Me:  Yes, it is important for us to be kind to each other.

4 Year Old (waiting for the other foot to fall, so to speak):  Yeah.

Me:  What else do we spent a lot of time doing?

4 Year Old:  Helping people.

(he’s no dummy)

Me:  So, tell me about today.  Were you nice?

4 Year Old (head hanging): No.

Me:  Were you kind to your dad just now?

4 Year Old:  No.

Me:  Have you been helping your dad tonight?

4 Year Old (tears welling in eyes):  No.

Me:  Are you happy?

4 Year Old:  No.

Me:  I think I know what the problem is.

My four year old looks up.

Me:  You have the WORST case of the “I Wants” I have ever seen.

4 Year Old:  Oh.

Me:  What do you think we should do?

At this point, the frustrated older brother yells across the room:  Punish him!

Instead, we talked about how he was focusing on himself.  We talked about how the fastest way to get rid of the “I Wants” was to focus on what someone else wanted.  After brainstorming a couple of things, he decided to go help out a neighbor.

The boys talked about what could be done to help a neighbor.  At this point, the 6 year old wants in on the helping action.  It will now be a Duo cracking down on The Worst Case of the “I Wants.”   Cracking me up!

The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” decided which neighbor to help.  He started thinking about what he could do, and then big brother piped up with the following suggestion:  We could pick up the dog poop in the backyard.

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, the 6 year old suggested picking up the poop.  He wanted to help out a neighbor by picking up dog poop.

The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” decided it was a brilliant idea.  (wwhhhaaa? okay.)  They ran upstairs to get dressed and we were off. . . . and, yes, the boys were running to pick up dog poop.  (I thought that it would be washing a mirror or taking out trash . . . nope, dog poop!)

 

The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” was in charge of telling our neighbor why we were there.  He did a pretty good job with just a bit of coaching.

And, yes, our neighbor was surprised!  But, he, thankfully, let the boys complete their mission.

 

The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” pretty soon figured out that it was not as exciting as he previously thought . . . he started to say,”I don’t want to . . . .” and then he had to stop because he heard his “I Wants” coming out again.  Instead, he replaced it with,”Poop stinks.”  Yep!

In the end, The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” did pick up the dog poop.  And, you know what, it ACTUALLY helped!  By focusing on someone else, it was like the cycle of grumpiness and rudeness was broken.

YEEHAW!

And, the older brother, the one that came up with the idea, he was a ROCK star!  That boy picked up dog poop without complaining which led to a conversation about taking care of animals.

If your kid wants a dog, go have that kid pick up dog poop.  🙂  We had a great conversation about responsibility, um, and dog poop.

Dad was right there in the middle of the action.  In fact, he pulled all the weeds in the lawn while the boys picked up poop.  We left that lawn better than we found it!

 

More from my site

  • Act of Kindness for a Friend:  Puppy Time!Act of Kindness for a Friend: Puppy Time!
  • Act of Kindness:  Donating Bandanas at the Animal ShelterAct of Kindness: Donating Bandanas at the Animal Shelter
  • Act of Kindness:  Serving the SPCAAct of Kindness: Serving the SPCA
  • Awareness Activity: Visiting the Animal ShelterAwareness Activity: Visiting the Animal Shelter
  • Act of Kindness:  Bird Feeding PineconesAct of Kindness: Bird Feeding Pinecones
  • Children’s Book on Kindness:  “Before You Were Mine”Children’s Book on Kindness: “Before You Were Mine”

Share this:

  • LinkedIn
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Like this:

Like Loading...
Sheila @ Pennies of TimePost author

Sheila brings to life acts of kindness and service projects that kids can do. In her daily adventures of serving with her young boys, she has witnessed the awesome things that happen when kids serve others. She earned her BS in special education from The University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has taught in a variety of settings from a classroom in small town Texas to a psychiatric unit in Chicago.

6 Comments on “The 4 Year Old with the Worst Case of the “I Wants” Meets, um, Dog Poop?”

  1. Kiri May 17, 2013 at 7:08 am

    Hilarious and creative!

    Reply
    1. Pennies of Time May 17, 2013 at 6:10 pm

      Thanks, Kiri! Ended up being an unlikely chosen but very memorable family activity! 😉

      Reply
  2. Pennies of Time May 18, 2013 at 1:04 am

    As a post-note: The neighbor came by today to thank the boys and as a side comment said that we picked up 2 weeks worth of poop! I was laughing so hard!

    Reply
  3. Mammasaurus May 27, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    Very funny – I love how he came up with the idea on his own!<br />Thanks for joining in with Monday&#39;s Parenting Pin-It Party! Following you on Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/loveallblogs) x

    Reply
  4. Katherine Lockett June 24, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    This is so awesome! What a great idea, and one which Im also certain Ill be hoping to remember around Christmas. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Pennies of Time June 27, 2013 at 8:29 pm

      Great point about being aware of I Wants during holiday time! Very easy for all of us to get caught up in them.

      Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Receive Updates & Resources!

This includes kindness focused events, e-courses, and tools to raise kind kids! Let's start the kindness action!

100% of donations fund customized programs designed and proven to foster family involvement in community service, teaching kids to be kind.

For More Articles

Popular
Recent
Act of Kindness: Care Kit for the Homeless

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

Act of Kindness: Making Chemo Care Packages

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

Fun Summer Service Ideas!

  Service Ideas for Summer Weather! Most people think of…

Bloggers Who Inspire the World to Help Others

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

5 Acts of Kindness to do WITH Your Kids

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

Awareness Activity: Teach Kids About Hunger Through a Hunger Dinner

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

A Guy’s 42 Acts of Service on His 42nd Birthday!

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

Serving Others: What Can Kids Really Do?

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

Service Project for Kids: Delivering Chemo Care Packages

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

Service Projects for Kids: Service Projects to Help the Elderly, Ideas to do with KIDS

Join the Movement to Raise Kind Kids! Let us know…

K Is for Kindness: Acts of Kindness Kids Can Do!

Acts of Kindness Kids Can Do We're exciting to be…

Kick Off the New School Year with Kindness!

Three Tips To Start a New School Year Right --…

courage kindness
I Have an Idea

Do you doubt ideas that you have when it comes…

Summer of Kindness

As I poured a new version of the pineapple Popsicle…

Acts of Kindness to do on the Sabbath
Sunday Acts of Kindness!

Rushing through the door, *almost* late for church, I realized…

compassionate problem solvers
Creating Compassionate Problem Solvers

The smell of sweet roasted nuts mixed oddly with the…

When Bad Stuff Happens, We Start With Us

      Fred Rogers always had a way to…

when bad things happen what do I say
When Bad Things Happen, What Do I Tell My Kids?

  Three Scenes of Questions Scene One Early on a…

Summer of Kindness End Boredom
Summer of Kindness Programs

"Mom, I've got an idea to help the homeless," excited,…

What Kids Can Do to End Modern Day Slavery
What Kids Can Do to End Modern Day Slavery

"Is this dirty chocolate?" Little Brother asked me, perched on…

Subscribe for NEW ARTICLES!

Enter your email address to receive the newest articles from Pennies of Time.

Visit Sheila @ Pennies of Time's profile on Pinterest.

Newest Articles

  • K Is for Kindness: Acts of Kindness Kids Can Do!

    Acts of Kindness Kids Can Do We’re exciting to be…

  • Kick Off the New School Year with Kindness!

    Three Tips To Start a New School Year Right —…

  • courage kindness
    I Have an Idea

    Do you doubt ideas that you have when it comes…

  • Summer of Kindness

    As I poured a new version of the pineapple Popsicle…

  • Acts of Kindness to do on the Sabbath
    Sunday Acts of Kindness!

    Rushing through the door, *almost* late for church, I realized…

You Might Be Interested In

Tips for Serving Success

Tips for Serving Success

  #1 Make it SHORT!  Aim for 15-20 minutes.  #2 Have FUN! #3 Build AWARENESS of Needs Around You #4 REFLECT

Tags

Benefits of Serving Others Care Packages Cleaning Service Projects Community Helpers courage Donate with Meaning Elderly Environment and Animals events For Friends Free Guest Post Help Hospitals Helping in Time of Disaster helping refugees In the Neighborhood KID Abolitionist kindness Kindness at School kindness habits Kindness Quest media Military Service Members modern day slavery Object Lessons programming Round Up of Ideas serving during the holidays Sheila Says stories and events Teaching Empathy Teaching Kindness Tips To Do at Home Tools Traveling Under $10 we can teach hard things to our kids

Connect on Twitter

Tweets by @Pennies_of_Time

Donate: Easy to Do

100% of donations fund future acts of kindness and customized programs designed and proven to foster family involvement in community service.

Meet Sheila

Sheila Sjolseth Pennies of Time Raise Kind Kids

Support Us!

While shopping, use your purchases to earn donations for Pennies of Time. Just select Pennies of Time as your charity and start shopping!

Join Us on Facebook

Pennies of Time is a GuideStar Exchange Gold Participant

Exercise Kindness Wisely

Adult supervision is recommended for every project and activity featured on this website. Please read the instructions for each activity thoroughly before deciding whether it is appropriate for your child(ren). Pennies of Time is not responsible for any injury or damage while replicating activities from this website.

Kindness Friends

Find an Act of Kindness

  • A Place to Start
  • For All Ages!
  • Kids Do Them!
  • Don’t Miss This!
  • Get Kindness Going
  • Get the Story!
  • Connect with Us!

Pennies of Time is an established 501(c)(3) organization entirely run by unpaid volunteers. © 2016 Pennies of Time. All rights reserved. Photographs, written text, and graphics are the property of Pennies of Time unless otherwise stated.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: