Monday, October 16, 2006

So, the newest thing that he is doing is NOT eating! I am really hoping this has to do with his cold. Cause it is driving us crazy. He used to get snacks in between meals, like crackers or fruit. Well the last week or so, he was pretty much just eating snacks and requesting them. So I decided until he was eating good again, we were going to cut out snacks, because maybe those were making him full. Well today he had 1/2 a pancake for breakfast. Then for lunch he wouldn't even take a bite of the macaroni and cheese but did eat a little bit of applesauce. But he will sit there with a full plate of mac n cheese in front of him and do the eat sign and say snack! I feel bad if this is just part of his cold and nothing tastes good but crackers, but for some reason I have a feeling that isn't it. Should I give in and let him eat crackers all day until the cold is gone? Or should I stick with just meals. After all, crackers are not bad for him. Anyone who has gone through a food boycot have any ideas??

He has finally learned that playing on the equipment at the park is fun! He still doesn't really understand space awareness, so I have to stick pretty close by. But, it is better than just chasing him around in the grass. I can do that at home. He also loves slides now. He still can't figure out how to sit and scoot to the edge. So, I have to be holding his hand or he will just step off of it. And I usually catch him at the bottom. But he wanted to go down one of those small tube slides and I couldn't help him at top and catch him at the same time, so I went and helped him up top and got him situated. He just flew down the slide and flew all the way off, right on the ground flat on his back. No crying, just whining. It was pretty funny.
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I just love this hat. It is too bad he doesn't leave them on very long, so we aren't going to be able to use this one very much since it doesn't have a tie.
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This is him doing something that he is not supposed to be doing! Shocker huh?
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This is what I found when I got home today. Two sleeping boys!
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Ok, now referencing that third picture up there. Does anyone else out there have a child that just does not respond to any discipline? Now remember I am not spanking. But, it is getting so frustrating lately. If he is getting into something he knows he is not supposed to, half of the time he will look at us as if to say 'what are you gonna do?' And the second we say 'No touch' he touches it. So we have tried ignoring, but if we ignore long enough he will touch it until we actually physically remove him from the object. Yelling? That is funny and he thinks so too. I can be a pretty loud person and even yelling as loudly as possible gets a smile or giggle. Most kids at least get a little bit upset when someone yells at them. I hate yelling at him, but being patient for 10 hours in a row while saying no touch please gets really tiring. Time-outs? Well, when we do them on his time-out stool he thinks it is a great game and every time I put him on the stool and walk away he thinks he should get up laugh and chase me. And this continues for the entire minute. So we do time-outs in his pack-n-play. Half the time he gets upset and doesn't like it but the other half he just sits and talks to himself. Other than that I have nothing for a 21 month old. And the things he is getting into it isn't like I can just move them. The vents, the computer and the phone. Those are the primary offenses. I can't move any of those or block them. And then there is the TV. We tried the TV guard and he has learned how to pull it out from under the TV. So any advice that doesn't include spanking and that doesn't consist of "he will grow out of it". I know he will eventually, but in the meantime I don't like spending half of my day yelling at my little boy. It makes me feel like such a lousy parent.

5 comments:

Laurie said...

yeah haleigh doesn't respond well to yelling or the time-out stool either. she thinks it's all a game. most of the time i take her by the hand and lead her away from whatever it is (lately the DVDs, she pulls them all out and then jumps on them) and then i remind her that we don't do that and she needs to play with her own toys or come help me do something. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but they're at that 'testing' age, aren't they :o)

haleigh's latest thing is picking up something heavy (a book, a big bottle of lotion) and saying "i throw it" with a big grin and i say no, you do not throw it, and she stands there poised to throw, daring me to make her stop. one of these times she's going to drop something heavy on her little foot.

Laurie said...

and the eating thing, haleigh's been doing that too kind of... she'd rather snack all day (healthy stuff though, not junk) than eat a meal with us. maybe that has to do with their age too lol

Double A's Mom said...

Oh my gosh, it is so creepy that you just described my entire day with Aaron. He too is not eating (he ate like half a chicken nugget for lunch and then scarfed down a zillion Goldfish crackers at snacktime) and the whole discipline thing - yeah, I have no idea either. I also refuse to spank him, so I am all out of options as well. Yelling doesn't work (he giggles), time-outs don't work (more giggles). Now I have just resorted to leading him away from whatever bad thing he's doing and hope he doesn't remember what fun he was having. Anyway, no advice on my part, just sympathy!

Anonymous said...

My recomendation would be repetition. Lord knows I have been here with a very stubborn strong willed child. Have you ever watched Nanny 911? I know its nuts but she works miracles with children. She will have the parent remove the child from the object of offense 50 times if that is what it takes...eventually they get it. Good Luck it will all work itself out. kids at this age are all about testing their limits. Once they realize that no matter how hard they try they are getting no where they typically, and I say typically call it quits. It will eventually not be worth the extra effort :)

Shannon

Anonymous said...

And wow! You just described a day with Dacey, too! The eating thing - yep, you know it! And the discipline thing . . . same struggles here. I am trying very hard not to go down the punitive punishments road, which is hard when I have a Dobson disciple husband. I agree with Shannon that repetition and redirecting seem to be key. It's hard and exhausting and some days I just don't feel like fighting the same old battles (namely - stay out of the spice cabinet!!), but I find that after many, many "no, no, not for Dacey" and being redirected to something else, she actually does lose interest.

It's hard thought.

Hugs, mama.