So about six years ago, I had the "opportunity" to have YSS (at the time 6 yrs old) completely under my watch--no holds barred.

Chef had to work that Saturday and it was a weekend that the BM wanted to dump him on us. Of course, Chef said "yes" to my babysitting of him--the way NCP biodads often do without much if any consultation of SM.

SO, I decided to have the same rules as I would my own children who are now grown and productive, self-supporting members of society.

8:00 a.m. Breakfast. Made homemade oatmeal with real maple syrup
8:10 a.m. YSS turned his nose up at the oatmeal claiming it was "too hot"
8:10:02 a.m. Detecting YSS's "Goldilocks Routine" I called his bluff and told him to blow on it.
8:15 a.m. YSS still turns his nose up at it; I put said oatmeal away and announce "for later"
8:15:02 a.m. YSS suggests for breakfast Dunkin Donuts (Chef never made him eat breakfast but instead would take him to Dunkin Donuts for a chocolate donut and chocolate milk)
8:15:03 Me: "no."
8:20 Me: YSS, time to brush your teeth and get dressed
8:20:02 YSS: "But I wanna watch Spongebob!!"
8:20:03 Me: "no." We are going on errands.
YSS tries to dilly dally but I supervise his dressing and teeth brushing (he usually lied and said he brushed to Chef and Chef bought it.)

So I fired up the car for my usual morning of Saturday errands.

8:35 (on our way to errands) I turn on the AM home improvement talk radio show as usual
YSS: I don't like this stuff; I want it on (XYZ bubble gum top 40 FM radio station)
8:40: Me: "Sorry, my car, my rules."
8:42: YSS: "Ummmmmm I think I want to go to Grandma's house instead (BM's BM)!"
8:42:02 Me: "No, sorry you made your decision now you need to stick with it"

9:00 (we drive past mic-en-donals; YSS baby talk for: "McDonald's)
9:00:02 YSS: "I'M HUUUNNNNNGGRY!!"
9:00:04 Me: You should have eaten your oatmeal for breakfast."
9:00:06: YSS slumps down in his seat, folds his arms and starts to sulk

First stop--Grocery store

9:15: YSS: "Can we get CANDY!!??"
9:15:02 Me: "no, we will be getting food that is good for us."

As we go up and down the aisles according to my carefully arranged grocery list, YSS starts to ask for everything junk.
9:25: YSS: "My Mom gets us LUNCHABLES!"
9:25:02: Me: "LUNCHABLES are too expensive and very bad for you."
9:25:04 YSS looks stunned and stops asking for every garbage item he sees.

10:15 (we are all finished at the grocery store; still no candy, toys or junk)
10:20: YSS: "I wanna get a video game."
10:20:02 Me: "We will instead get a movie from the library and if you're good I'll take you to (store that has animal and tack supplies) so you can see the animals there.
10:20:04 YSS starts to sulk again
10:40: (we arrive at the library)
10:42: YSS grabs at a displayed library book and EXTREMELY roughly starts whipping pages, almost pulling the book apart in anger.
10:43: Librarian's eyes hone in on YSS as a trouble maker
10:43:02: Me: "YSS that is not the way to treat a book; turn the pages gently like a big boy."
10:43:04: YSS slaps the book down on the counter and trots toward the video section.
10:45: Me: "You can have one movie and two books."
10:45:02: YSS: "I don't like books; I don't want any books"
10:45:04: Me: Nevertheless, you should practice your reading so we will be getting two books; choose them or I will choose them for you."
10:45:06: (YSS looks stunned as no one has EVER DARED to tell him what to do.)
10:50: (YSS has chosen two preschool level books and starts whining for more than one movie)
10:50:02 Me: "One movie, please"
10:55 (YSS decides on Alvin and the Chipmunks movie)

Next stop playground outside of library to let YSS blow off steam

11:00-11:30 YSS wants to be pushed on the swing, claims he hungry again, wants to be "helped" with every sort of apparatus at the play ground.
A bunch of kids arrive on the scene; even the very youngest/smallest can go across the monkey bars and have no trouble "pumping" on the swings all by themselves. They soon detect that HUGE-for-his-age YSS is "different."

YSS starts to roll on the ground seeking attention after barely hanging onto the monkey bars for a few seconds. He starts to lick the mud boots he was wearing (don't ask me to describe) The other kids start to descend on him like a weak link in a flock of sheep. They are about to pound the piss out of him for being so annoying and whiny. I quickly scoop YSS and rescue him from the "normal" kids.

Off we go to the animal store.

YSS: "When is my dad coming back?"
Me: "When he finishes work."

11:40 (arriving at the animal store)

YSS looks unimpressed at the pets that used to DAZZLE me as a child. It was BIG TREAT in my day to visit a pet store.
11:40:02 YSS: "Can I get toys here?:
11:40:04 Me: "These toys are for pets and animals only. And you're not a pet" (don't ask me what I was actually THINKING then--BM treats all her angels as "pets.")
11:45: YSS: "I wanna go now--can I get a video game?"
11:45:02: Me: "You have a movie from the library and yes we are headed back home for lunch."
11:45:04: YSS: "I wanna go to Mic-en-donals for lunch!"
11:45:06: Me: "We are having sandwiches for lunch and you will be making your own." (I knew the rath of GOD would be upon me had I made him eat his untouched oatmeal for breakfast--something I normally would have done with my bios.)
11:45:08: (YSS does his "schlepping routine" to show his dissastifaction--chin to chest, and shuffling his feet slowly forward)

12:10 p.m. (Back at home; the car ride home was somewhat uneventful; YSS did try to convince me to go to McDonalds for lunch but I held my ground, of course.)

12:15 p.m. YSS dives into the frig.
12:15:02 I stop YSS and tell him to go to the sink and wash his hands before lunch--I supervise of course.
12:18: I get out the sandwich makings, put away the groceries and show YSS how to make his own sandwich (PB&J) He actually looks thrilled and is very pleased with himself (he's six years old--my bios were making sandwiches at age 4)
12:26: YSS tries to skip out on the bread crusts. I, the meanie I am, make him eat the crusts.

I notice that I am getting less and less resistance now that proper training is in full force.

After lunch I tell YSS to wash up and he may put his play clothes on and go outside to play.

12:50 p.m. YSS, unable to entertain himself for more than 20 minutes comes back in.
12:50:02: Me: "YSS, we can do story time if you're finished playing outside."
12:50:04 (YSS begrudingly gets ready for story time.)
12:55 (story time commences; I read the preschool books he has selected and ask him to point out words which he tries to do with probably a 20% success rate)
1:15 p.m. YSS: "when is my Dad getting back?"
1:15:02: Me: "soon. Why don't you watch the movie you picked out?"
1:20 p.m. (YSS has to have "help" to start the movie of course.")
1:25 p.m. I go about doing my regular weekend cleaning routine.
1:55 p.m. (YSS announces he is "bored" with his movie. I suggest he can help me clean or play in his room with his ABUNDANT toys that he gets every.single.weekend. from Chef.)
2:00 p.m. (YSS ACTUALLY SELF ENTERTAINS for about 20 minutes and plays quietly in his room with his many toys!!! BREAKTHROUGH!!! I think to myself "I AM making a DIFFERENCE!"

2:20 p.m. YSS comes out of his room, asks for "his dad" again. (Chef is slated to come home at 3 p.m.)
2:20:02 I tell YSS he's due back at 3 p.m. which means nothing to YSS as he can't tell time.
2:25-2:40 I have a discussion with YSS on telling time and a demonstration using a drawn analogue clock.
2:40: YSS starts quietly rocking himself back and forth back and forth mumbling under his breath: "gotta talk to dad" "gotta talk to dad" "gotta talk to dad"
Me: (thinking) Uh, oh, all this normal behaviour has caused YSS to lose yet another screw!

3:02 p.m. (Chef enters--YSS IMMEDIATELY BOLTS TO CHEF'S LEG, points his fat little finger at me and says: "SHE DIDN'T LET ME GET A VIDEO GAME!!")
3:02:02 (Chef has this look on his face as if to say "WHAT have you DONE to my poor widdle BABY??!"

3:02:04: Me: "But, YSS, why don't you tell him about all the things you DID do today?"
3:02:06: (YSS's memory fails him so I start to list all the things that we DID do.)
3:05: (Chef now looks less worried than he did shortly after YSS adhered himself to his leg)

Needless to say I was NEVER EVER asked to watch any of the skids EVER again! But I couldn't help think to myself how NORMAL the skids COULD be had they had the proper parenting!!! I can ONLY IMAGINE what horrible tortures he told the BM that I had put him through LOL!