Last night I realized that CootieGirl hasn’t had another staph infection or boil since the last one in December. Praise!!
Also, the past two nights CootieBoy has slept in his own bed the entire night – not even waking up early to crawl in for snuggle time before we get up for the day. Praise!
Downside: CootieBoy is definitely going through his Terrible Two’s. Boy howdy have his tantrums gotten ridiculous. I remember going through this with CootieGirl but she was so much easier to calm down. CootieBoy has an AMAZING determination to hold on to his frustration, even if it’s just about whether he got the purple sippy cup or the orange one. That’s definitely something to keep an eye on as he gets older. Everything is a battle – he doesn’t want to get out of bed, he doesn’t want his diaper changed, he wants Blue’s Clues (but doesn’t), he doesn’t want to get dressed, he doesn’t want milk (but refuses juice too), he doesn’t want to go downstairs, he doesn’t want to go outside, he doesn’t want to go to daycare, he doesn’t want to go in Daddy’s car, he doesn’t want a kiss goodbye, he doesn’t want to come home, he doesn’t want to come inside, he doesn’t want dinner, he doesn’t want Baby Einsteins, he doesn’t want to go potty, he doesn’t want to take a bath, he doesn’t want to put on his pajamas, he doesn’t want to brush his teeth, he doesn’t want to listen to music, he doesn’t want to read a story, he doesn’t want the light out, he doesn’t want Mommy, he doesn’t want to go to sleep. Ugh. It’s EVERYTHING. At least with CootieGirl she would pick and choose her battles.
And then he suddenly turns sweet. This morning he threw a minor tantrum (well, a few actually), but then when I walked with him to the car minutes later he asked me for a kiss as I put him in his carseat (which I happily gave him).
Trust me. This was one of his good days. You should see him when we get home from day care. That’s usually when he’s at his worst.
I am feeling better that it wasn’t just me! Boy, howdy, is right. Read Dobson!! And remember, it is a control issue and you have to make sure he knows that YOU are in charge. Will be praying for you, big time! 🙂
Don’t worry. We are more strong willed than him and we let him know we are in charge every chance we get. Yes, I do keep Dobson close to me.
An observation: When I was there, he got into a fit because he wanted to watch one DVD and CootieGirl wanted another. He’d just finished seeing his choice, so I suggested he let CootieGirl pick. Nope, trantrum city. So I then suggested a compromise of a third DVD, which CootieGirl accepted but D didn’t. I said, “OK, then, if we can’t agree, I’ll put the DVDs away,” and proceeded to do just that. He went into a full-on meltdown, CootieGirl just cried. At some point he stuck out his tongue at me and tried a raspberry. I just laughed. After about five minutes the wailing slowed down and I asked, “Ready to compromise?” and both nodded. We got the DVD’s down again and I loaded the compromise for them.
He’s got a temper, but if he meets strong resistance he gives in pretty quickly. He knew I wasn’t going to give in, so he did. Just a thought.
Dad – he’s pretty good about “CootieGirl’s pick” and “CootieBoy’s pick” – each night we alternate who picks, and he’s okay with that now. I do the same as you – I take things away if he argues about it. But the difference is that CootieGirl would quikcly apologize for crying (and eventually stopped the tantrums altogether), whereas CootieBoy goes into a RAGE. He’s 50/50 on the timeout step and only rarely fights me on sitting there. I’m hoping this stage ends soon. NOT a fan.
Don’t worry, there’s no giving in here. He just likes to think he’s boss and acts like that. I’ll wear him down.
It almost sounds as if a switch goes on in his head that causes him to act out, then it turns off as soon as he says, “sorry.”
Then the switch goes on again.