Why oh why does my two-year-old daughter suddenly want to be a baby?
Okay, okay--don't tell me. I've heard it all before. "She's jealous." "It's a stage." "Perfectly normal." Yes, yes. I know.
That doesn't relieve the frustration, and it also doesn't help me solve the problem.
Actually, what I'm seriously considering is telling her that if she wants to be a baby, she can be one. Meaning diapers, two naps a day, no cows milk, no sugar treats, no gymnastics class, no bike riding, etc. I really don't think she'd be able to stand it.
The problem is, neither would I.
I suppose it all depends on how desperate I get. After she came crawling up to me and babbled at me for several minutes straight, refusing to use her hard-earned words, I admit I'm pretty mystified. We've tried giving her extra attention. We've tried giving her less. We've tried correcting. We've tried ignoring. We've tried bribing. We've tried reasoning. Nothing seems to work for more than a day or two.
Maybe the problem is we're not consistent enough. Which then makes me wonder: Where on earth did Ladybug learn to be so consistent if I can't seem to manage it?
Or possibly, now that the issue seems to have reached its peak, it really will blow over.
...Wow, totally deja vu. I've dreamed writing this post before. Now that I think of it, I remember waking up that day and telling DB how I had such a strange dream that Ladybug was acting like an infant even though she was a toddler.
Too bad I can't remember how the dream ended. Maybe the Lord will share that part of it with me again when I sleep tonight. Maybe a little angel will come down and ding the child on the head, like the one that used to visit Bill Cosby when he was home sick as a kid.
Oops, well, I'm out of time. StrawBee has found the bookshelves and one of my favorite books. Till next time!
Eh, my only thought is to just put her in situations where she has to use the words she's learned or she doesn't get what she wants. Same thing with walking. She just needs to learn that she's more likely to get what she wants by acting like a big girl.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I have no kids, so I don't really know...
I think that's a great idea, Jay. The only thing I can't figure out is how to do that with potty training. She did perfectly for a couple weeks and was so pleased with herself, and all the sudden she wants only diapers and has 3 or 4 accidents a day if we put her in underwear. Not at all sure how to handle it!
ReplyDeletePick some of her favorite big girl things and take them away, then explain to her that they are big girl things and since Ladybug is obviously a baby, then she simply can't do them anymore until she grows up. Then grin and bear it Mama...I haven't met a 30 year old who hasn't potty trained yet.
ReplyDeleteConsistency usually works best with 2 year olds, or almost 2 year olds, but it can take a while for them to catch on.
ReplyDeleteAs for the potty training thing, that's not something I've tackled head on yet, but pretty much you can either just let her keep having accidents and eventually she'll get tired of the mess, or just let her wear diapers and try again in a month or whenever she outgrows the baby phase. And she will, eventually. ;)
P.S. glad that you live.
You know, I have the mentality of a two year old. Maybe you should be asking my wife how she gets me to do things when I'm acting like a baby?
ReplyDeleteOh, now, Jay! You're a goof. That's why I like you so much. =)
ReplyDelete