In the daily, and seemingly 'epic', battle of Toddler vs. Mommy, I am raising a white flag (at least for today). He has pulled out all the stops. Everything from getting him to put on shoes, to begging him to not throw carrots and cottage cheese on the floor has been a major event. I think it all reached it's peak with me sitting on the floor, staring at the wall and babbling nonsense. Ironically, this is when the perfectly sweet angel came out in Koen. He quickly sensed my distress, and began telling me things like..."It's o.k. mommy" and "I love you, mommy". His peace offerings included caressing my hair, kissing my cheeks, and wiggling his way into my lap with a book in hand. His coy little smile all the while was as tender as it was maddening. He knows he is the conquerer. :)
Sadly, I am a control freak, and he is my son. And, whew, is he good! He's got my number, and knows the buttons to push. How is this possible? I'm 33...he's not even 3? I think back to my blog entry when I complained about Koen being '2' before he was even two, and I'm now understanding that, back then, he was just getting started!
So needless to say, we skipped our much anticipated play date with old friends this morning, and I spent his entire nap time reading all my brochures, handouts and books regarding challenging toddler behavior.
What I learned? This is all typical and encouraging (as far as his development goes). Lovely. And I should simply anticipate certain predicable episodes before they arise and avoid power struggles at all costs! (NO! I need to have POWER at all times!)
Oh, and rather than giving him all the time outs, I should give myself some time outs. One article suggested locking myself in the bathroom for five minutes. Super, I look forward to that!
[Sorry, there is no smiling-face photo to accompany this blog entry]
Wish me luck!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
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4 comments:
Did you hear that? That was the sound of me wailing and peeing my pants in fear of what is to come. Little people are SCARE - EE.
My current plan is to install a chokey in the basement and/or bribe Lucy with an endless supply of m&ms. Hm - maybe I need a copy of those pamphlets.
HUGS!
Hang in there babe.
Dad
P.S. The only thing you really have any control over is your attitude, the rest; people, places and things, is a grand illusion. Your Every Wise Dad
Hi Erin, I tend to agree with Your Very Wise Dad. I look back to my days with a little toddlers and really wish I let 75% of it go. Take Care!
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