Friday, August 31, 2007

Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde

I have a bully in the house. I'm really quite surprised by this for some reason. The bully in question is Baby A. my seventeen month old. She baffles me. How did I get through the other three kids without a biter or a hair puller or a head banger. She truly throws some of the most spectacular tantrums I have ever seen. I am so bothered by her bullying tactics that at her last check up I even asked the doctor for suggestions. He put most of it down to her age but did say once she was eighteen months we could effectively start using time outs. Oh is it going to be a long month. Poor K has lost countless handfuls of hair and both boys have been bitten by her. She's even biting the dog for goodness sake. Yuck! She can turn a calm and quiet room upside down in no time and laugh at the results. She is the youngest of four and I really think for her she just wants to be a part of the action. Any action, and if there isn't any then she will just create some of her own.

But don't think she doesn't have her good qualities to. She is the best kiss giver of the bunch. She will immediately come back and give kisses to anyone hurt and pat them on the back. Whether she feels true remorse, I have no idea. She just copies whatever it is that I am doing Oh the joys of having a dual personality at seventeen months. I really am looking forward to this phase passing and soon. In the meantime, I have to give my older kids a huge award for being so patient with her during all the hair pulling and biting.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My daughter is the same way! She is certainly the most affectionate, but also the most aggressive. I do wonder if it is her way of asserting herself so she doesn't miss out on any attention that her older brother might get!

Anonymous said...

May God bless you with an abundance of patience. I must with all my kids and grandkids I have never had a biter or even one who was aggresive. (maybe I should knock on wood or something!) May this phase pass quickly while you and the other kids still have patience with her. Before you know it she will be giving hugs and kisses instead of bites and hair pulling.