This bodes badly

Both of us are underslept, and so Jamie is being an almost-two-year-old, which is to say, a bit of a pain, and I have no patience, which I have learned is a winning combination for parenting.
So I think we will go for a ride on the train and meet the Fool downtown for lunch. The novelty should prevent Jamie from being too much of a twit, and I can get a coffee or seven.
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JaymeKnits said…
Hang in there, 2 isn't as bad as it can seem at first. Diversion like this is a great coping mechanism (if he goes along with it). Laura is now 2 and a half and I also use a lot if logic and consequences talk with her. She doesn't do well if you just tell/ ask her to do/not do something but if you give her a reason or a consequence she gets it. The caffeine will probably help too, I envy you there as I'm limited to only one a day until the new baby gets here.
2:13 PM
=Tamar said…
Be careful about the reasons you give. Sometimes the child has a belief that you don't know about, that makes your "consequence" not count. Sometimes "I don't want you to do that because it makes me unhappy" is the only reason they can't outflank.
9:51 PM
Thorny said…
Oooh, I can't believe I forgot this one - have you been doing the thing where you offer him very specific choices?

Like, instead of saying, "It's time to get dressed" ask him which of two shirts he wants to wear. Letting him choose which shirt gives him a sense of control over what's going on in his life enough that he's less likely to balk at the actual putting on of the shirt (which um, you mysteriously "forget" to give him a choice about).
12:31 AM
=Tamar said…
Oh, and small children depend on rules and predictable routine even when they are resisting. It gives them confidence and backbone later in life.
2:51 PM
JustApril said…
Kids can SO sense when you are not on your A-game and they go on the offensive. My routine (as it was) was shot about the time my 2nd came around 21 months after the first. Fortunately the backbone is hereditary around here and there's plenty to spare. As for coffee, I think I've been drinking buckets of it since I became a parent.
8:54 PM
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