I'm not writing this blog entry for sage advice from mothers who've "figured out what works." I don't believe you have and the presumption that you could help me pisses me off intensely.
The terrible two's have begun...
Jake and I spent an entire day fussing at each other. I got four hours of sleep (my fault, not his) and he's most likely going through a growth spurt (probably also my fault. If I didn't feed him, he wouldn't have to grow). We both started off pretty edgy, but after a THREE HOUR playgroup (way too long. Sometimes people don't get the hint. Go home. My child is half-asleep on me. Get OUT.) session, we were full-throttle GROUCHY.
What a day. I can't even go into all of it. The failed nap in which he hit me repeatedly and, yes, I spanked him. I know, I know, don't worry I feel the guilt, okay?? At any rate, he proved to me that this was ineffective by laughing in my face. The punishment that I decided for him in the end was this: go to your room. So tough, so effective. Ha! Of course he loved every minute of "go to your room." That just means, "Play cause Mama said to!" But whatever, it gave me a chance to breathe and calm down. Well, calm down-ish.
Finally, we both napped. But then dinner with friends turned into, "Mama gets no food because Jake wants to sit with her and will scream a lot if he doesn't get to." The bath turned into "I want to go potty, I want my diaper, I want Daddy." Bedtime became "No. Pooh sleep. Jake wake up."
And now we're at this. I'm almost positive he's wide awake, playing in his room, rather than sleeping. But once again, I have a chance to breathe. So I go with it.
Discipline. What?
(And of course as I write all of this, I look back and think, "Damn, he's cute when he does that." I think that's how they make it through these years...too cute to send them away...or out the window)
Posted by Becky at July 28, 2003 10:14 PM