Hello, Terrible Twos
You know the expression: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"? Well that's the reason I haven't been on the blog in a few days. The terrible twos have kicked in full force and it's driving me to the end of my rapidly fraying rope.
Luckily, Niall isn't the 'throw a massive temper tantrum, hit and kick and spit in public' kind of kid. But he's a 'behind closed doors' kid-- I mean, whenever we're behind closed doors (about 50% of our day). From the second he gets up at 6:15 until we leave the house around 10...and then again, when I start tidying up and getting ready to make dinner (around 5) until daddy gets home (around 7).
It's a continuous, monotonous fake whine/cry that usually involves the repeating of a word over and over in the hopes that if he says it more than a hundred times, he'll get what he wants (AKA "chooo choo, choo choo!!" means he wants to watch Thomas, "mama, mama, mama, mama!!!" means pick me up and remain standing because you are not allowed to sit down while holding me).
So I'll try to make compromises like "We can read choo choos together, but we're not watching any more TV" or "Mommy can give you a hug, but I'm not holding you right now." Which inevitably turns into a meltdown-- throwing, hitting himself (I don't know what to do about that weird habit), hitting me, screaming, more whining and sprawling out on the floor in a "woe is me" fashion. It's pretty brutal. We're up to about 5 or 6 timeouts each day.
This becomes especially intolerable when I'm trying to make dinner and can't walk from one end of the kitchen to another because I have a human leech attached to my leg. I feel bad for him because I've resorted to leaving him in the pack and play in the guest room with a few toys for a good 45 minutes every night while I make dinner. But there's really nothing else I can do if I want to get anything done.
It's just a phase. It's just a phase. Right? That's what I'm telling myself.
The solution for now: get out of the house as quickly as possible each morning and stay out until as late as humanly possible. That can be tricky on rainy days like these, but we've got a few tricks up our sleeves:
Yes, it was worth every penny of the $15 it cost to get into this "playseum"... now I need to figure out some free options for the winter when we're really gonna have trouble finding things to fill our time :)
Niall loves your votes!
Luckily, Niall isn't the 'throw a massive temper tantrum, hit and kick and spit in public' kind of kid. But he's a 'behind closed doors' kid-- I mean, whenever we're behind closed doors (about 50% of our day). From the second he gets up at 6:15 until we leave the house around 10...and then again, when I start tidying up and getting ready to make dinner (around 5) until daddy gets home (around 7).
It's a continuous, monotonous fake whine/cry that usually involves the repeating of a word over and over in the hopes that if he says it more than a hundred times, he'll get what he wants (AKA "chooo choo, choo choo!!" means he wants to watch Thomas, "mama, mama, mama, mama!!!" means pick me up and remain standing because you are not allowed to sit down while holding me).
So I'll try to make compromises like "We can read choo choos together, but we're not watching any more TV" or "Mommy can give you a hug, but I'm not holding you right now." Which inevitably turns into a meltdown-- throwing, hitting himself (I don't know what to do about that weird habit), hitting me, screaming, more whining and sprawling out on the floor in a "woe is me" fashion. It's pretty brutal. We're up to about 5 or 6 timeouts each day.
This becomes especially intolerable when I'm trying to make dinner and can't walk from one end of the kitchen to another because I have a human leech attached to my leg. I feel bad for him because I've resorted to leaving him in the pack and play in the guest room with a few toys for a good 45 minutes every night while I make dinner. But there's really nothing else I can do if I want to get anything done.
It's just a phase. It's just a phase. Right? That's what I'm telling myself.
The solution for now: get out of the house as quickly as possible each morning and stay out until as late as humanly possible. That can be tricky on rainy days like these, but we've got a few tricks up our sleeves:
Yes, it was worth every penny of the $15 it cost to get into this "playseum"... now I need to figure out some free options for the winter when we're really gonna have trouble finding things to fill our time :)
Niall loves your votes!
We're totally entering the terrible twos as well. My daughter is sweet and enjoyable when we are out (and when I send her to a twice a week preschool progrem at our church) but at home she is a total cling-on. Would rather latch on to me than play with any of her toys, and even my last resort (Dora the Explorer) doesn't work anymore, because half the time I end up turning on the "wrong" episode and that's another tantrum in and of itself!! So frustrating. I keep telling myself it's just a phase too.
ReplyDeleteWe also have child number 2 on the way... a boy and I'm due 5 days after you. I'll be sure to keep coming back for support. :)
Holly
www.hollyatnaptime.com
I think it hit early in our house too :( My *normally* sweet and chatty daughter does nothing but whine, cling, and cry. Let's hope this passes quickly, and until then, know we are all in it together!
ReplyDeleteDaily Mom
http://dailymomlife.blogspot.com
We are having a similar problem, and it is driving me bananas! Blogland has helped though, because I read a lot of blogs of moms with toddlers around John and Niall's age, and I keep finding posts just like this. I hear "hold you! mommy HOLD you!" all.day.long. When I'm driving, when I'm trying to make dinner, when I'm sitting instead of standing... AHH! Good luck to us all!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I have found three to be so much harder than two, I have wondered why they don't call them the terrible threes! Each kid is different though, hope it gets easier!
ReplyDelete