Someone please tell me that I am not crazy and that it is possible that the terrible twos start earlier than two. Please. Because that is the only way that I am going to feel better about the newest behavior exhibited by our sweet little blessing from God. (I only kid. We were told that children are a gift from God, which they are, but you'll see why the sarcasm later on in this post).
She hits. I hate it. Last week her teacher said that when Aubrey wants something from another kid, she does not exactly say please. She hits the kid and takes it. I know that being a toddler is a dog eat dog world. I mean it is bit or be bitten. But what happened to our sweet little girl who hugged kids in her class who were crying? Why the hitting?
She does not just do it to other children either. No, she does it to both me and T. ALL the time it seems. I may be just a tad dramatic, but it's annoying. And she actually hits kind of hard. It's not always out of anger, too. Sometimes just to hit. The other day for no apparent reason the kid just hauled off and basically bitch slapped me. We said no and told her it hurt in a firm tone, and she did it again. And laughed. And then kissed me.
The other day in church she was doing her normal Aubrey behavior and as I picked her up to take her out to the community room to calm down, she hits me, right in front of a whole bunch of other church goers. I could not react as I normally would which would be to grab her hand, say no firmly, and then put her in time out. I just had to take her screaming and walk away.
I know they make books on hitting. I'm sure I could do lots of research on the subject, and her daycare teacher has assured us that biting and hitting are, in fact, very typical toddler behavior. But I hate it, and I know T does.
I'm not a fan of these toddler years. Words of advice you moms out there? Is it normal for her to start her terrible twos months ahead of turning two?
Sadly the Terrible Twos start early and extend into 3 (my least favorite year). But this is normal, and it will end eventually. She's just testing and wants to see the reaction. Stick with the method of "discipline" that you are most comfortable with because consistency is key. Good luck and hang in there!
ReplyDeleteThey can start early - the kid started with the hitting awhile ago, it has diminished but comes back in waves and sporadically...actually not so sporadically - there is usually a reason to them - just takes a while for us to figure it out. After reading the books, my suggestion is to read a couple articles/blogs on peaceful parenting or parenting without "punishment" and it might help you figure out what your unique situations are with Aubrey's moments.
ReplyDeleteNote to the above: I am not saying to actually DO those parenting options - just that some of the articles helped me understand WHY the kid might be doing certain things from her view - making it not as frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI've found they start early, mainly because littles can't figure out a way to get what they want, they are also testing their boundaries. Once they learn what is expected of them things are (can be) pretty good through the two's, then at three they shift to not wanting to please you as much and things go down hill for awhile. That's of course just my experience. When it come to hitting I think just being really stern in the moment and making an exaggerated point to show and talk about gentleness to toy baby dolls and animals and such can help a lot. Making a point to give constant examples of how we treat people and things seemed to help my girls. Good luck! Parenting is so hard, at every stage, yet so rewarding!! I'm glad we have wine to help us cope. :)
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