Last week at the Neonatal Follow Up Clinic, we received a dire warning. Sophia is on her way to needing therapy because we give in too much.
It's true. When she gets up at 1am and won't go back to bed, I do just let her out into the living room to play and watch In the Night Garden dvds. It's because I hate crying and and I feel like a jerk. She gets these super big tears and I am convinced she'll remember that I was a jerk who let her cry and need therapy some day.
I understand kids need and want boundaries. I'm just bad at it. So Nick and I re-committed to holding the line with her, no matter how wound up she gets.
Otherwise, she's doing well. She's a limit testing, walking, climbing, tantrum throwing toddler. I'll take it. :)
I think that this is actually really common with first kids. I know that my first turned into a tyrant before I realised, woah, I made a monster here, and had to reverse course. With the second and third, I knew what was coming.
ReplyDeleteThe first time R. had a tantrum, it was so intense that it scared me and I called my mother -- mummy, something is horribly wrong with my daughter!
It's very hard to shift from responding to their every need and desire as infants to setting reasonable boundaries for toddlers.