Please tell me we're not the only ones...
"That's a no-no", "Please don't do that", "Go to time out", "Go to your room", "Stop whining", and "Come here" are all extremely common phrases around our house (and in the car) these days. Three months shy of your second birthday and you're already a pro at pushing our buttons and testing your limits. Some days I get so exasperated with you and your inability (or desire not to) listen/understand right from wrong. I know that all toddlers go through this phase but I honestly wonder if we're the only ones going through this rough patch right now. You're starting to act out more and more in public; which is quite embarrassing at times. Sometimes you won't listen to me when I tell you not to do something and other times you try to either run away from me or if I'm holding your hand you'll either try to get away from my grip or you'll do the whole sit down in the middle of the floor/ground and start screaming thing. Trust me, I can almost feel my blood boiling when you do this because more often than not Aiden (who has been sitting quietly in his car seat which I am carrying on my left arm) will begin screaming, too. The end result is a breathless mommy who just wants to disappear for a few minutes to get a grip on herself. I've honestly started planning errands for times that a) you'll be in daycare or b) when Daddy is home. Our library trips that were once so much fun have now become too stressful for me to handle alone with both you and Aiden and now I simply request books online and swing by and pick them up before getting you from daycare. I want to enroll you in gymnastics right now but I'm questioning if your behavior and attitude can handle it. I know that this too shall pass but I'm beginning to wonder when. Maybe it wouldn't seem as tough as it does if Aiden weren't so dependent on me. Punishment (being sent to time out or to your room) don't seem to work most days and you got sent to time out so many times Monday evening that I forgot what you were even in time out for the last time you were sent.
I did have a talk with your head teacher at daycare Wednesday morning. Basically Daddy & I had been noticing that you had gotten extremely clingy and wanted to be picked up or held constantly--this is all fine and good sometimes but you expected it 100% of the time and you would whine constantly if we didn't oblige. Then it finally clicked with me. I had been noticing when I picked you up in the afternoons from daycare that one of your afternoon teachers was constantly holding you or was carrying you around on her hip. Let me preface this by saying I completely understand that some teachers get attached to certain children more so than others, and vice versa, and that is completely fine with me. However, it negatively affects things at home when you're constantly whining to be picked up. So we discussed that and she agreed to have a talk with the teacher that was "babying" you all the time and we also discussed some other things that the children (as a group) were having trouble with, behavior-wise. I'm hoping things will get back to some level of normalcy because I hate having to exclude you from things--as simple as errands to library visits to playdates, etc.
Comments
Re: Please tell me we're not the only ones...
You are definitely not the only ones. I can very much relate to what you are going through with Harlee. I haven't taken Ava to the library because I can just imagine what she would do to the shelves and there are lots of other places I don't dare take her because it's just too hard right now. I believe that being firm with her now like it sounds like you are doing will pay off.
Hang in there, I've heard it gets better :)
None
