is there a light at the end of my tunnel!?
he tests me everyday and is such a busy little guy....we try so hard to be consistent with 'punishment' (i use that VERY lightly - timeout is about as harsh as it gets or is needed) and teaching him and i always make him look at me when i give direction so it's not just lost in space while i speak.
for the most part he is so sweet and will listen and helps out if i ask him to put things away (he loves to help unload the dishwasher). he is always kissing his little brother and loves kissing momma and daddy.
please tell me (if you've been through this) that he'll get better at listening, not throwing tantrums, doing things only because i said no...
and yes i get that he's a 2 year old boy and its probably a phase but i'm finding that hard to believe right now! just need some encouragement!
TIA
Re: XP - those with boys aged 2+
It's clearly a phase. There aren't many grown men who behave like this. ;P
DS1 was such an easy going kid, that I'm also struggling to keep my composure with my more "spirited" younger son. FWIW, you're not alone. It will pass.
Good luck!!
I have heard that people usually have a bad year at age 2, 3 or 4. For me, it was age 4. The first half of their 4's was a daily struggle and they weren't fun to be around. I think we've turned a corner but I take it day by day.
Just be as consistent as you can with him in regards to discipline, sleeping, eating, etc. and hopefully the phase will be short lived!
It's not a boy/girl thing, some kids are just more intense than other kids.
DS1 is much grouchier than DS2, so we had to deal with a lot more temper tantrums with him. DS2 is just so so so active and loud and into everything, that it's a whole new set of things to deal with at two. Little kids are hard, no matter how they act. Hang in there!
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
Two was a breeze, but 3 kicked my . Four started out rough, but gradually got better. Five is pretty good
Good luck!
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
Yep.
2.5-3 was such a rough patch for us. Like, totally kicked my butt. He hit 3 and suddenly it got easier again (although I remember a rough - not as rough as 2.5-3 - patch prior to his 2nd birthday too, so maybe as he approaches birthdays it gets harder?). But he's still allllll about testing boundaries. I've had many people warn me about 3 though. I'm skerrrred. Something tells me as we approach the latter half of 3 things will get sticky again.
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DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
I have a 2 year old boy and this sounds sooo familiar. On his bad days "spirited" would be putting it lightly. I feel your pain. I don't really have any advice other than be consistent with your expectations and consequences when it comes to big stuff and pick your battles with small stuff.
For us, it kinds of ebbs and flows. 2y9m-3 was tough then it got better for a bit. The past month has been brutal-prob the toughest we've been through yet.
i hate to be the alarmist, but many kids who are spirited have sensory issues-that was the case with my son. Implementing a sensory diet helped immensely. Might be something worth looking into.