I realized the time I most enjoy with my daughter are reading books right before bedtimes. There aren't outside distractions, she is focused and sitting in one place. I love laying in bed with her before she falls asleep listening to her talk and telling her all the names of the people she knows who are sleeping so she will go to bed too.
Outside of those 30 to 45 minutes have been very chaotic lately. She is probably a normal 2.5 year old, but sometimes I wonder. I keep checking with friends to see if their children have gone through similar phases. Her latest is changing her mind every 5 seconds. Today we went round and round about her taking a bath. I told her that her sister was going to take a bath. She replied that she would like to take a bath also. I said, "OK". Then she immediate followed up with screaming, "I don't want to take a bath!". I said, "Fine, you don't have to take a bath". The she whined that she wanted to take a bath. We went back and forth for several minutes. What does she want from me? She ended up taking a bath. She does the same thing with food by asking for something and when I make it for her, she pushes it away and whines how she doesn't want it. All she wants to eat is crap like chips and candy (courtesy of her father!). I don't offer her sweets or chips and most of the time refuse her if she does ask. I feel very frustrated by her indecisiveness about everything. I give her choices and try to pick my battles on issues, but she drains my energy! I think I need a time out!
My second issue is discipline and motivation. I feel like I have to motivate my daughter to do most things like go to sleep, eat or get dressed. I don't know if this is appropriate. It seems to work for her, but I am constantly bargaining with her. If you want desert, you have to eat your lunch. If you want to go outside, you have to wear pants, shoes and socks (she would go naked if I allowed her out of the house like that). You can't play until you pick up the food you threw on the floor. If you don't pick up the food you threw on the floor, you will get a time out. These statements and ones like it are spoken repetitively. She is very much asserting her indepedence lately and I feel like an ogre because I am getting so frustrated at her opposition.
This is new territory for me. Sometimes I don't know how to get through to her. She is very good for other people, but not for us! She even went potty on the toilet for the first time at her MDO program and hasn't shown any interest at home. Sometimes she seems like a space cadet. A new study came out in the Journal of Pediatrics about television viewing and increased chances of attention problems in kids. I am sure my daughter doesn't have ADHD, but I wonder how much TV viewing has "rewired her brain" like they state in the article. She has especially watched lots of TV since the birth of her sister. I try to limit the amount she watches, but she asks to watch TV quite a bit. Sometimes I also need to get something done and the electronic babysitter keeps her occupied.
Does my kid sound wierd or am I just the insane one?
Jennifer
Outside of those 30 to 45 minutes have been very chaotic lately. She is probably a normal 2.5 year old, but sometimes I wonder. I keep checking with friends to see if their children have gone through similar phases. Her latest is changing her mind every 5 seconds. Today we went round and round about her taking a bath. I told her that her sister was going to take a bath. She replied that she would like to take a bath also. I said, "OK". Then she immediate followed up with screaming, "I don't want to take a bath!". I said, "Fine, you don't have to take a bath". The she whined that she wanted to take a bath. We went back and forth for several minutes. What does she want from me? She ended up taking a bath. She does the same thing with food by asking for something and when I make it for her, she pushes it away and whines how she doesn't want it. All she wants to eat is crap like chips and candy (courtesy of her father!). I don't offer her sweets or chips and most of the time refuse her if she does ask. I feel very frustrated by her indecisiveness about everything. I give her choices and try to pick my battles on issues, but she drains my energy! I think I need a time out!
My second issue is discipline and motivation. I feel like I have to motivate my daughter to do most things like go to sleep, eat or get dressed. I don't know if this is appropriate. It seems to work for her, but I am constantly bargaining with her. If you want desert, you have to eat your lunch. If you want to go outside, you have to wear pants, shoes and socks (she would go naked if I allowed her out of the house like that). You can't play until you pick up the food you threw on the floor. If you don't pick up the food you threw on the floor, you will get a time out. These statements and ones like it are spoken repetitively. She is very much asserting her indepedence lately and I feel like an ogre because I am getting so frustrated at her opposition.
This is new territory for me. Sometimes I don't know how to get through to her. She is very good for other people, but not for us! She even went potty on the toilet for the first time at her MDO program and hasn't shown any interest at home. Sometimes she seems like a space cadet. A new study came out in the Journal of Pediatrics about television viewing and increased chances of attention problems in kids. I am sure my daughter doesn't have ADHD, but I wonder how much TV viewing has "rewired her brain" like they state in the article. She has especially watched lots of TV since the birth of her sister. I try to limit the amount she watches, but she asks to watch TV quite a bit. Sometimes I also need to get something done and the electronic babysitter keeps her occupied.
Does my kid sound wierd or am I just the insane one?
Jennifer
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