Toddlerhood
My son is driving me crazy. He is whiny and clingy and demanding and rude. He yells at me constantly to assert himself and throws things when his demands aren’t met. These are not behaviors he sees demonstrated on a regular basis so I can only hope that this is a stage.
I hope this stage is short-lived.
Every 15 minutes or so I find myself reminding him that he needs to speak nicely. He’ll immediately lower his voice to a regular speaking tone and say please, then go right back to yelling and demanding. If I give him a blue fork he’ll scream, “Noooooooo! Green fork!” Offering choices makes things worse. If I offer him the green fork or the blue fork he’ll say green then scream, “Nooooooo! Orange fork!” when the fork arrives.
Bedtime battles have returned. Our formerly 15-20 minute bedtime routine is now back to a full hour and a half. The last month of illness has left him unable to settle himself. I don’t object to staying with him until he falls asleep since I know he’s just not feeling well and his better habits will eventually return, but at seven months pregnant I’m just not that delicate anymore and getting out of bed wakes him every time. When he wakes he’s angry, demanding that I lay down on this particular spot on the pillow, then another spot on the pillow. He screams, “More kisses! More, more, more!” and it would be charming if he weren’t so damn angry about it, flailing his arms like a little dictator.
He wants me to carry him constantly, only wanting to walk when it’s unsafe or inconvenient. He no longer sits in a chair by himself for meals, he needs to sit on, “Mama’s lap!!” I can’t just cuddle him when trying to help him fall asleep, he insists on sleeping, “On top of mama, “ a demand I’m currently unwilling to meet.
He’s truly making me nuts. I’m sort of looking forward to a lumpy, blobby newborn who does little but nurse, sleep and poop all day long.
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March 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I wonder if he’s realized, in a toddler sort of way, that because Mom is going to have a baby, he won’t be the baby anymore … and is acting out his unhappiness and uncertainty about it.
Whatever the cause is, you certainly have my sympathies during this “little tyrant” stage.