This week

I mean urgh. Rushed off my feet, getting behind in my studies, watched a video about DV that totally wigged me out and Atti… ah toddler hood.

So he is getting his 2 year molars - and that is a bit hellish. But he is also doing that toddler thing - pushing, hitting, pulling hair, saying no, basically working out that he is a separate entity - but not yet working out anyone else is. So if someone tries to take something off him, he shoves them over or hits them. When I say no to something (or even later or wait) it's floods and screams and sometimes he will hit me - or try to push me which is actually just funny.

I need to re-read the toddler taming book, and have a chat to daycare about what they are doing. At the moment I am pulling him aside, telling him 'no! we don't hit/push/pull hair of X. It hurts them. We don't do that. Go and say sorry'. He is pretty good about saying sorry. He usually says it straight away, I often don't have to prompt it. And he says 'kay Mummy' and then 'cuddles'.

I have also noticed that he doesn't usually start the interaction - as in, there is generally a reason he hits someone. We spend a lot of time with a 5 year old girl and it is when she tries to take something off him or make him do something that he will push or hit her. So I have started telling him what when he doesn't like what someone is doing, he is to firmly say 'stop' - but NOT to hit or push or pull hair. I doubt he really understands it, but you know.

I am not sure what else to do. From what I read, time outs are a bit pointless at this age (not quite 2). And I don't think he gets it if I do things like take him home or whatever. I am doing some 'taking away' consequences - but they are mainly things like turning off the tv if he gets up when he is eating (we let him watch some tv while eating dinner. If we could get him up late enough to eat with us I wouldn't do it, but you know, it's arsenic hour).