What do you think could have done this to Boston's ball??? I'll give you a few hints. We don't have a dog, or a cat, and thank goodness we don't have rats.If there's one thing I've learned it's NEVER EVER quiet around here unless Boston is up to something he's not supposed to be. I still fall for it every now and then and take advantage of those few minutes of quiet time, but I always regret it as soon as those quiet moments are over. For example, when I'm in the bathroom getting ready Boston is either tugging at my leg to be picked up, opening every drawer and emptying it, or trying to pull my blow dryer off the counter by the cord. Every once in awhile there will be a few moments of peace and quiet and I'll happily take advantage of those few moments to finish getting ready only to find that the reason Boston was being quiet was because he was sticking his hands in the toilet water. Gross, I know. After that happened twice I learned quickly to snap my head in his direction as soon as it got too quiet.
Another example. I'm sure by now you've already guessed what little animal ate our ball. It was our cute little 15 month old animal. Before Scott left to study for finals yesterday, (HIS LAST FINALS EVER!) he had to take that ball away from Boston because he kept trying to bite it. He has two sharp bottom teeth like a little rabbit. He was very unhappy that Scott took his chew toy away even though I replaced it with some teething toys thinking that's what he obviously needed. A few minutes later I started doing the dishes. I should have known it was way too quiet. I did look back a few times to make sure he wasn't sticking his fingers in the sockets or unplugging anything, but I just saw him sitting on the floor with his back turned to me. Like I said before, sometimes I still fall for those quiet moments.
P.S. How many temper tantrums are normal for kids his age? I know he looks really happy in all his pictures like he's never had a scowl on his face in his life, but every action has it's EQUAL and OPPOSITE reaction. I wonder if I'm spoiling him rotten. He wants me to hold him ALL day long. He tugs at my leg and whines if I'm not holding him. No matter how long I've been holding him, as soon as I need to do something, just simple things like butter my toast, he throws a temper tantrum. Is it unrealistic to expect him to play with his toys or entertain himself in a non-house-destructive way for a few minutes? Has anyone else had this experience? Do I need to ignore him, or does he need the attention? My problem is when I do ignore him he finds something he's not supposed to do and then he gets my attention that way. Hmph. Toddlers are tough.
3 comments:
A sibling works wonders :)
Is it unrealistic to expect him to play with his toys or entertain himself in a non-house-destructive way for a few minutes? --No. Not at all. He should do be able to do that. And try not to give in to his tantrums. It's so hard not to but it's a bad cycle to get in. I always think to myself, "Am I going to let my one-year-old control me?" I don't think so.
I feel like we are living parallel lives right now! Mason has been doing the same thing (tantrums and whining)! When it started happening, I would reluctantly give in just because personally, that SOUND makes my ears bleed. However, since that didn't work at all for us, we've tried a different approach. Any time he whines or throws a tantrum, I get down to his level and asks if there is something he wants. He will either try to tell me or take me to what he wants or he will continue w/ the tantrum. If he continues, I usually give him a hug then say, "I can't understand what you need," and then ignore the tantrum. It has actually made a huge difference. He may continue to throw a tantrum for a while, but lately, he's realized that I'm not going to pay any attention to it and he'll go play or stop and finally let me know what he wants. I don't know if it's the right answer, but it's the one that keeps me sane! And to be honest, it's helped him become more independent, which is great. I think if he's not hungry, thirsty, hurt/sick, and his diaper is clean, there's not much more you need to do other than let him work it out! Good luck!
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