Somebody forgot to tell Jace that he isn’t two yet. Jace has discovered that he has opinions and while he can’t verbalize them yet, he sure can get his point across with other actions.
He is not a big fan of having his diaper changed, probably more so lately since we have been battling diaper rash for the last couple of months. Both Sunday and Monday night, when being carried into his room for a diaper change, he decided that since his squirming wasn’t getting him out of it, that he would try taking a chunk out of the shoulder of the person carrying him. Yes, Jace now bites and it isn’t because he is teething. People recommend that when your kid bites you to sternly tell them “no biting”, put them down and walk away so they realize that biting won’t get them the attention they want. Of course in this case what Jace wanted was to be put down so that would rather defeat the purpose!
Another trick up his sleeve is bursting into tears and screaming when he doesn’t get what he wants. Last night he screamed when I got him undressed for his bath, tried to take him out of the bath, started to put pj’s on and then again when I went to brush his teeth.
And dinnertime is the biggest battle of all. Jace has decided that if he doesn’t like a food, the only place for it is on the floor. When I say doesn’t like, that doesn’t necessarily mean he has even tasted it, just that he thinks he won’t like it. Last night I made him corn pancakes with tuna fish in them. A few months ago he used to love the corn pancakes but last night he poked at them, put it on his tongue, spat it out, then threw it on the floor. And expected me to find him something else to eat. My question is what to do? Do I become a short order cook and keep making things until I find one he will eat or do I just make things I know he will eat (fruit, pasta, mac and cheese, omelets, trader joe’s vegi pancakes, meatballs and sausage) or keep trying new things and getting frustrated when he refuses to even really try it?
I hope this gets easier as he gets some words to vocalize what he is feeling and gets older because otherwise I am going to go crazy.
Categories: Jace
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2 Responses to “Terrible two’s come early?”
This is happening to me, too. Justin has a penchant for standing on chairs–any chair–the bent wood Ikea chair, the bar stools at the kitchen counter, his booster at the kitchen table, you name it. When I tell him (in any tone of voice) to get down, he looks at me, furrows his brow and says, “Raa raa wa wah wah WAH!”
I have no idea what he is saying, but the tone of voice is communicative enough!
As far as the eating goes, I can relate to that, too. Justin was such a good eater, and now will take two bites of anything and get down. I think the conventional wisdom of late is to serve him something you “know” he will eat, along with whatever else you might be making for him or yourselves. I avoid the short order cook thing at dinner, although I try to indulge everyone with breakfast and lunch.
Have I ever told you about the book “How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk,” by Adele Faber/Elaine Mazlish? I think of it, and know others who similarly think of it, as my parenting bible–it has a number of really smart, simple, and sensible suggestions for warding off tantrums and basic “positive discipline” techniques.
You probably already naturally use some of the language they suggest, but reading the book helped put certain manners of speech at the forefront of my parenting.
Even though our kids aren’t exactly verbal yet, I think the techniques help with Coby already, just in keeping him from losing control and tailspinning into a tantrum… and I’ve DEFINITELY seen them work wonders in my various teaching situations (middle/high school).
Good luck.
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