Friday, May 26, 2006

My Son, the Demon Spawn...

Really, are any of you with toddlers out there going through this?? EVERY time we change gears, i.e. change activities, he throws a whining-crying temper tantrum complete with arched back and hitting. And let me tell you, 35+ pounds of back arching are not fun for the pregnant lady. The last three weeks have been hellish for me. I have to go into this emotionally numb state to combat the urge for violence. Not that I'd ever hurt my child. I wouldn't. But he makes me want to kick things. Hard. Suggestions, comments, alcohol? Nope, can't do that either, don't want to hurt the little girl. Please someone tell me this is a stage??

7 comments:

ieatcrayonz said...

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. We've been putting Lauren in time out now for a few months now. We try to speak calmly to her and not interact with her while she's in time out. After a minute or two, I go over, get eye level with her, explain why she was in time out and that screaming/hitting is not acceptable. It's been working well for us. If you do try time out, be persistent, and don't let him get up. A beanbag is a good choice for this age.

He needs discipline, and he needs boundaries. Don't be afraid to give it to him. They're just testing the waters.

Jen said...

I don't know if you already do this or not, but where I teach we give a 5 minute and then a 1 minute warning before it is time to transition to a new activity. I don't know if it will help, and obviously it's not feasible in every situation, but it's just a suggestion for you.

Denise B. said...

Crayonz: yeah, we do time outs, and I pretty much do what you are doing. We have the chair he got for Christmas, which is his size, that he sits in for those. Or, the crib. But with the pregnancy, towing him up to the crib is rare. I'm not so worried about disciplining him or giving him boundaries, I'm worried about my own level of patience. It's like he's pre-programmed to know exactly how to make my blood pressure sky rocket!!

Jen: Trying the warnings before transitions, which he accepts, but then when it's actually time to go, he still throws the fit. I'm also giving him the "First diaper change, then a book, then night night." the sequence approach, which seems to help a bit.

Amazingly, this has only been going on for oh, three weeks. I don't know if I can remain sane for several months. good grief.

Unknown said...

Nathan does throw the occasional temper tantrum, more when I say no to doing what he wants, like going outside or down the basement. There are moments I absolutely lose my patience. I do catch myself raising my voice sometimes which I don't like. I even yelled really harshly once when he rammed a toy into my ankle and it hurt like hell. He just stared at me in shock and I apologized. We use a pack-n-play in the dining room for time outs. That way I can walk away into the other room for a minute and leave him crying without him getting out. It does seem to work pretty well. We don't employ it all that often. So far I'm lucky that I have a generally easy-going kid. Who knows what the next one will be like.

Oh yeah, and there IS a next one now :) Shhhhh it's a secret on my blog cuz my boss doesn't know yet.

Unknown said...

You silly girl. I had to delete your comment! Not gonna talk about it on my blog for awhile yet. Several people I know in real life read the blog and I haven't told them yet. But anyway...Feb 3rd is the due date, according to Babycenter.com.

Anonymous said...

My son is going through the tantrum/hitting thing right now as well. I couldn't imagine dealing with it while pregnant too! Usually I'll just put my finger in his face with a loud "No!" but even then he usually tries to hit one more time. I can't wait until he's old enough to comprehend the time out.

Three's Company said...

Hey there cousin. I SO know what you're going through. I think it's a family trait. :) Anyway, there's no quick fix. This is what got me threw the 2's
1.. consistancy
2.. firmness
3.. Allow him some control somewhere else. You control what and when he can have control. Make sense?
4.. Before starting something tell him that when it's time to go you'll give him a 5 minute warning then it'll be time to go. Then count down... The first couple of times my dd would try to through a fit. But after a couple of times she'd beat me to the door.