So, we are definitely in the Terrible Two's. I know he's only 19 months old, but he is in his 2nd year and really acting out. There seems to be 2 Alexanders recently. The first one is an absolute angel. He gives hugs and kisses, likes to sit, snuggle and read books. We took him to dinner the other night and he was perfection! The 2nd Alexander is a bit of a menace at times. He hits, bites, and claws when he doesn't get his way. He throws temper tantrums and is super whiny.
We are trying to get a handle on his aggressive behavior, but so far nothing is really helping. We've been doing time outs in his crib until two days ago when Chris literally caught him on his way out of his crib. Yes, apparently he can now climb out. Awesome. So then I put him on a chair in the kitchen, which he thought was fantastic and laughed and smiled the whole time. Then I tried putting him in his room for 1 minute and he promptly let himself out (first time for opening doors as well). Chris and I are trying to come up with a new time out area and we're going to try a chair in the guest room. I'm sure we'll need to use it at some point today, so hopefully it will work.
I know that he will eventually out grow this stage and he is just testing his independence, but it is really hard. I knew that motherhood wasn't going to be easy, but recently it has been ridiculously difficult. Don't get me wrong, I still get lots of hugs and kisses which are wonderful, but I could use a little less of the hits and bites. And I know that this is only magnified because my crazy pregnancy hormones are making me super emotional. Also, Chris has been working the past few weekends to try to get his paper finished and then next weekend he's going cross country. So it's been a lot of just Alexander and I. Luckily for us, Chris took today off so that we all get a break together. And so far, it is lovely!
The "experts" say not to use the crib or bedroom for time outs, the child will start to associate that spot with punishment. We always sat the kids at the front door. Time outs are a learned behavior, you are going to have to sit with him until he learns he isn't supposed to leave that spot until you tell him to. He's being a normal kid right now. Take a deep breath, and then react. :) Sometimes easier said then done, I know. Don't worry, he'll get better, and then worse. Each age has its own issues.
ReplyDeleteKristi