Wednesday, August 08, 2007

My 3 Year Old Is Kicking my Butt

Seriously.
I'm beyond tired these days.
I thought that when the "terrible twos" were over and before the f*&%ing fours" began there would be some peace, a nice respite from the terror that can be my son.
I was sorely mistaken.
So, here I am, entering my fifth month of parenting a 3 year old, and I am seriously exhausted. I have tried being strict. I have tried being nice. I have tried ignoring. I have tried bribing. And NOTHING works. Nothing.
One minute he's the sweetest child in the world. He's hugging me and kissing me and telling me how much he loves me. I love that. And all is right with the world.
Then suddenly he turns. And because this insane child. Something sets him off and he goes wild. It's like if I don't work with his schedule and do what he wants then he attacks. Literally.
He has starting biting again. And it hurts.
I tell him no - he bites.
I say it's time to go - he bites.
I offer him candy - he bites.
I'm covered in bruises and my patience is wearing thin.
And it's not just me. Mike feels the same way. Every time Mike turns around Matthew is biting him too. It's gotten to the point where we compare bruises at night. It's not fun. And, keep in mind he's in daycare ALL DAY.
And so on it goes. But, it doesn't help that lately I've been tired and cranky and trying to cut down on caffeine.
So basically, my child is kicking my butt. I'm sure I'll sort this out one day. But today I'm just venting. Cause really, there's not much else today. If anyone has a solution (other than copious amounts of alcohol) please let me know ...

8 comments:

AndreAnna said...

Ohhh, you poor thing. I have no advice for you, but I will be checking back for any words of wisdom, because I can so see this being me in a couple years.

Good luck, and have a drink! ;)

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear this! And I'll tell ya, 3 is the new 2. And 4 is the new 3. So WATCH OUT.

And let me send you some duct tape. And lots of wine. And I'd be smacking those buttocks for that biting. Hope that goes quick.

This shall pass. Hopefully SOON! xoxo

Becky Hewis said...

Hey!
Kyla hits. Every once in awhile, she starts it up and sees how far she can push it. I have no patience for this. I think its completely insulting. She gets no warnings, nothing. She is hauled over my shoulders, kicking, screaming, and of course hitting, and is unceremoniously plunked on her bed and told not to get off until she apologizes. She tries to get off, but I am much stronger when I need to be. I have sat on her - just enough for her to realize there is no leaving the bed until she is a nice person. She ends up crying for awhile and then comes down when she realizes I have no interest in her crying. It tends to last for a lovely week and then just as quickly as it appears, its gone again and she's back to herself.

LoriD said...

Does he bite at daycare? If he does, ask them how they handle it. Consistency in discipline may be the way to go. If he doesn't, tell them at daycare that he is doing it at home. They may have some advice, and may also be able to work it into a "lesson" during the day. Good luck!

Amy said...

Seriously, this sounds barbaric, but it works. My mom did it to my sister to stop her from biting me as a kid. Bite him back. Not overly hard or anything bad like that, but enough so that he learns that it hurts.

I know, horrible obviously non-parent thing to do, but it seriously works. Even my Track Mom did it with Bre Dan and Kyle. Worked on them too.

Other than that, hmmm, put something bad tasting on your arm so at least he gets a nasty taste?

Best of Luck!

Multi-tasking Mommy said...

I'm so sorry to hear that you are having such a rough go. I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating it must be to have your child bite you. I don't know what to say other than to be consistent and think of a consequence that will really hit home for him--natural consequences are difficult to choose with biting.
Good luck ;)

Teena in Toronto said...

Poor you! I hope you get if figured out.

Remind me again why I never had kids ...

HW said...

My daughter was a biter for a while. The advice I got was to press the back of her hand or wrist area against her own teeth. That way she saw that her own teeth were very painful. It worked very quickly.