Yes KiKi is now fully inhabited by a demon that we call "toddlerhood" and is taking her frustrations out on the whole family. Ok so it is mostly me and LaLa, but still that is like 2/3 of the people that she can take it out on. I get the brunt of it because I am around her all day. The symptom of the demon that is possessing her is easy to recognize. The shrill call of "nooooooo" and the tantrums on the kitchen floor are obvious signs of inhabitation of the demon. Lesser known signs of this beast are the subtle manipulations that will manifest themselves. Bedtime is now be stalled by pleas of hunger, thirst, and "I'm wake up". Thousands of books also need to be read before bedtime in order to lull the demon to sleep.
Frankly the child has become a dictator. A wee dictator. Fortunately for me, I am head dictator in this house and I'll be damned if I am going to be usurped by a 2 year old. Timeout has now been extended from 2 minutes in the penalty box* (just a corner next to the kitchen door) to 3 minutes. Hitting adds another minute. Hitting me, well she has camped in the penalty box for 4 minutes for that little challege to my authority.
I know that this is just a stage. It will pass. I actually am weathering KiKi's toddler tantrums better than I did LaLa's. When LaLa was a two year old I think I called my mom almost every night close to tears because of the antics she pulled. Live and learn. They are just kids. Kids possesed, but kids just the same. One of these days I will get my sweet baby girl back.
*A term coined by my business teacher in high school for in school suspensions...also where penalized players go to cool off in hockey. We also call time out around here "the box". No we don't make them sit in an actual box, cause that would just be weird.
26 comments:
I never understood how standing in the Penalty Box (in my house, it was The Corner) was a sufficient punishment. It worked, but still... It just seems weird.
I am totally with you there Kat.
My daughter is 3 and she is a HORROR.
Last night she flushed her knickers down the toilet 'to see what would happen' - who does that?
My son didn't do stuff like this. Did I go wrong somewhere or is it just a girl thing!
Oh my gosh. I'll have to figure out that name of this one book but it's all about how dictatorship starts in toddlerhood!
maybe you should change her blog name to el jefe? hee hee.
Hi- I came over from BobbyG's page. My toddler is the same way, excepts he SCREAMS no around the clock. You wouldn't have done anything and yet he finds a reason to yell at you.
*sigh* the joys of toddlerhood!
OK, sorry, but for some reason this totally reminded me of an episode of South Park.
I can just see you in sunglasses (looking like Cartman) and talking about "you will respect my autoritay!"
Sorry :-)
The sin-bin you mean?
I have a naughty step, and my friend does 'stand-against-the-wall'. I remember a spell when it was very nearly a daily thing, and by the end of it, my son would do something naughty, then say, do I need to sit on the naughty step now?
A weird kind of self discipline, but he understood there were consequences to his actions, both the good and the bad.
I feel for ya, sister! My wee dictator has become a bigger dictator and it's a battle for world domination at our house! (I'm loving the whole 'penalty box' idea....hmmm...)
(Thanks for stopping by my bloggy! I love to visit yours..I always leave with a giggle!)
So glad I'm beyond that stage. However, wait til they can logically argue back. That's almost as frustrating.
SO hitting you is a double minor, and does she get a game misconduct suspension for that too? lol
Imagine if she pulled a hat trick..
Oh I remember those days! Time outs never, ever worked for us. It just escalated!! Time to call Supernanny??
My daughter uses time-outs with her kids and it works for the most part.
Good luck and keep in mind there is a light at the end of the tunnel...a very looooong tunnel.
Miss G is seven, I'm still waiting for the toddler years to end...sigh.
Keep fighting the good fight...do not let your dictatorship be challenged!
My 8yo is possessed by a demon named 'Defiance'. And.. wow.
Pair that with a toddler AND a preschooler.. and a couple other kids.. and you have my wonderful, fun-filled household!! :)
The key is to yell louder. Even if you use a bullhorn.
It's pretty amazing what we can take the second time around, huh?!
I guess I lucked out with the boy. He did some crazy things if you let him out of your sight when he was three, but he didn't really ever have tantrums or argue with me.
Time-outs and throwing out his favorite toys worked wonders with him. Hang in there, girl!
I've got a unique solution to use every once in a while. Throw your own tantrum. Scream, freak out, lay on the floor and kick.
It can be very useful and used in desperate times. Chances are she might see how silly she is behaving.
What is it with the second ones? With Connor, I could just give him a look and he'd stick himself in time out. Liam? I sleep with one eye open.
I was actually gonna say the same thing OhCaptain said. LOL
We're planning on just locking ours away until they're 4...just bypass this age altogether. Who's with me?
let me know how you get her back, I am just waiting for mine to enter this stage, times 3!
It's a really frustrating stage.
The louder my son became, the quieter and firmer I was. He hated being ignored more than anything.
This'll be good training for when they reach their teens.
If I was a kid and was told to sit in an actual box as punishment, I don't think it would have minded so much. Boxes rule.
Time out in a box would be too much like time out in a fort. Good call. Remember...benadryl is your friend.
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