grumpy boy, mama learns
The two year old is very grumpy today and he's wearing me out! He just got over a feverish illness yesterday (today is the first day w/no fever) and he therefore has a pretty good reason to be grumpy, but really! He's been hitting at me, not hard enough to hurt but it still makes me angry. So today I've been working at my response to that. First time he did it I reacted in kind and said angrily, "Hey! Don't hit me! Jeez!" as I shoved him away rather roughly. He cried even more, I realized the utter stupidity and irony of my action, apologized for yelling and shoving, reiterated that I like to be touched gently and we moved on.
Fortunately when you are the mother of a small child they will quickly provide you with another situation similar to the one you reacted poorly to so you get a chance to modify your response. Sure enough, he hit at me again within an hour (the boy is very angry today!) and this time I said, "Hey, don't hit me!" (but I still sounded pretty angry, myself) and he kept crying but not any harder than before.
Third or fourth time now, hours later. He hit. I looked at him, said "Ouch, buddy, that hurt! You sure seem angry!" and picked him up, wrapped his arms around my neck and started walking around the house and talking about our day. He immediately calmed and was asleep within about 5 minutes. Score!
I'm so glad kids accommodate mama-error so well! Whew!
Fortunately when you are the mother of a small child they will quickly provide you with another situation similar to the one you reacted poorly to so you get a chance to modify your response. Sure enough, he hit at me again within an hour (the boy is very angry today!) and this time I said, "Hey, don't hit me!" (but I still sounded pretty angry, myself) and he kept crying but not any harder than before.
Third or fourth time now, hours later. He hit. I looked at him, said "Ouch, buddy, that hurt! You sure seem angry!" and picked him up, wrapped his arms around my neck and started walking around the house and talking about our day. He immediately calmed and was asleep within about 5 minutes. Score!
I'm so glad kids accommodate mama-error so well! Whew!