Now let me start off by saying, Liam has never been a difficult child. From the day he was born, he never cried, never whined, slept wonderfully, ate anything you put in front of him, he wasn't the kind of baby that always needed to be held . In fact he's always been quite independent, very content playing on his own, doing his own thing by himself...
With that being said, I expect him to behave certain ways, to do or not do certain things. Things like not throwing tantrums, doing what he's told, realizing he can't always get what he wants, etc. Typical things you try to teach your child at a young age like that. Some may say at 22 months old, that is a little young to expect anything from your child, but I beg to differ. I know my child; I know his temperament, I know his attitude (and boy is there a lot of that lately), and I know how he behaves (normally). The thing is, Liam has known these things and what is expected of him for quite some time, and is fully capable of doing these things.
Now don't get me wrong, he's still a good kid, and I've definitely seen worse at his age. So if this is "The Terrible 2's" it is probably not a vicious as what other people might be going through. It's just really his attitude that gets me sometimes. The constant "NO!" (His new favorite word) His yelling and whining when he doesn't get his way. (Which is actually kind of funny because you can't understand a single word he says. I'm pretty he's fluent in Japanese, lol) And just not listening. All of this bothers me mostly because I know he's fully capable of behaving the way I expect him to. Keep in mind this isn't like an all day every day thing. He just gets in these moods a few times a day. I swear it's like he's bipolar too, one minute he will be laughing, playing, having a good time, and the next he's pissed and yelling at you.
So here are my questions to everyone...
Is it normal for a child to behave perfectly and do what's expected of them from the age of 12-20 months, then all of a sudden not?
Are these mood swings normal?
Is this "The Terrible 2's?"
Or is the the worst yet to come?
Crockpot Beef Stew by Beth
8 years ago
I know you probably don't want to hear this... but it's def. Terrible 2's! I know you little guy isn't 2 yet... but I believe why they call it this is b/c it last 2 whole years.. ha. Blaine started with the attitude around 20 months (right before I had Brealy) or so and by 24 months it was in full swing. The whole time I was on maternity leave I was so worried that he was acting out because I had just had Brealy… but as time has gone on I believe it was just terrible 2’s showing their nasty face. Blaine is a lot like Liam in the situation with always being well behaved and nice. Right before his 2nd birthday I started seeing another side to this sweet little boy. Like you said it's not that they are horrible... but for them as the child you raised and are used to... it seems horrible. I know a lot of it has to do with the fact that they are just realizing what emotion is and they aren’t sure how to deal with certain feelings. If Blaine is having a meltdown I can typically end it with just talking to him in a really calm voice. If that doesn’t work I tell him that mommy doesn’t understand you when you talk like that… come talk to mommy when you can talk nice and softly. Within a few minutes he is calm and explaining why he is upset and then we deal with it. Keep your head up and stick with YOUR rules. When Blaine is being naughty or disrespectful I remove him from the situation. If he is hitting... throwing sand... ect. I literally bring him in the house or away from the situation and place him in a room by himself for a total of 2 min. Those 2 min. really make a difference and he hates it... so it's a good punishment. Honestly in the last 2 months I've seen a huge change and it's been for the better. Now I just have to threaten him going to his room and he stops what he is doing. I will admit that if his nap is cut short I'm in for it for the rest of the night. Blaine is a child that needs his full 3-4 hour afternoon nap and HE needs to wake up himself... if I go in and wake him up he becomes demon child.. ha! Also, don't change anything in your lifestyle. I've known of people who stop bring their child to the store b/c they are too naughty and too much to handle. Well, sure it makes shopping easier at that moment... but that child never learns how to behave in the store and soon they have a 4 yr old that is being left home with Dad while mom shops. I literally drag Blaine and Brealy everywhere with me... the doctors... store.... lunch with friends... and so on. Sure some days Blaine is a brat and I can't wait to get him home for nap.... but those days are few and far between. I just discipline him in public and trust me no one says a thing... b/c who wants to listen to a 2 yr old scream and cry at a restaurant? Just stick to your guns as a parent and soon it will all blow over. Every child is different so if may take a few months or years. I think Blaine is coming out of it and starting to mature a lot. One more thing to add….. you as a parent may think your child is being horrible… but ask the people who visit and watch him. I thought Blaine was being this naughty… out of control toddler. I asked our daycare provider how he was acting when she watched him… much to my surprise she had seen no change in his personality and still considered him a delight to have around. I decided to step back a little and let the change run its course….. b/c as long as your child isn’t being rude or naughty with other adults… than you must be doing something right… right? I only disciplined in bad situations and used the whole go to your room and cool off things when he was home with us (and being a stink). Well the little guy is not even 2.5 yet and has gone back to my sweet little boy (for the most part… haha). Good luck and I hope this helped ease your mind a little.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelly! I pretty much knew it was normal, but I was hoping it wasn't lol... I won't stop taking him places, and I definitely discipline him in public. If anyone has anything to say to about that, let them! If I'm not afraid to discipline my child in public, I sure as hell am not afraid to let someone know what I think about them minding their own business, lol... Hopefully this will all blow over soon, since it's been going on for about 2 months now. I don't think anyone else thinks he's a little monster like I so, but I think it's we expect so much more out of our won children, lol... Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion your lucky. Lilah had attitude the minute she came out(colic) and it still hasnt gone away!! I tried to have a time out rug, but she wouldnt sit on it, she'd screem and sob, I tried a time out chair and the same thing happened, so now I put up her playpen and thats time out. It has been working really well. That way I dont have to restrain her which can be tramatic -on both of us! We still have battles, they just usually end in time out.
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