I've heard about the "terrible two's" before, but this is way beyond what I expected. I remember in the weeks leading up to Lyla's 2nd Birthday, I would say she was right on schedule with her acting up. That. Was. Nothing. I really started to notice the tantrums pickup in intensity around July. She spent a lot of time in time out. At that point, it seemed to work. Plus, I kept telling myself that I was a little short tempered due to pregnancy hormones and was blowing it out of proportion. Nope.
This past week has been the hardest ever. Lyla REFUSES to listen to anything I tell her. She deliberately does things she knows she is not supposed to. She has been acting out towards Caroline and even told her that she hated her (that didn't go over well). She screams "no" constantly in this evil little voice. Everything is on her terms and her terms alone.
It's heartbreaking. Is this the person she is destined to be? A mean-spirited person? What have I done or not done to make her think this behavior is appropriate? Is she learning from me? Do I act this way? Is this all just part of the "terrible two's and will pass? Is this her finally acting out towards her little sister? Two days ago, I even asked her if she had another person living in her head making her be mean.
Eric and I are at a loss as to how to handle this. I've tried "killing her with kindness". When she acts out, I just hug her and tell her I like it when she is a nice girl. I've tried screaming. This does nothing other than make her afraid of me and teach her to yell. I've tried spankings on the butt. Nothing. She cries for a minute then continues on with her day. I've given her sassy sauce (vinegar) which she totally hates but as soon as it's over, she whispering under her breathe the same thing that got her sassy sauce in the first place. Today I tried a new approach. I warned her that when she didn't listen to me or screamed at me, I would take away one toy each time. The first offense resulted in me popping the Bears balloon she's been toting around for weeks. By the end of the day both balloons and three toys were gone. Then she started picking out toys for us to take away. Fail. I am out of ideas.
The day ended with her screaming in her bed for 40 minutes because I told her I wouldn't read a book and lay with her before she went to sleep. Maybe that will work. She very much looks forwards to those cuddles at night and so do I, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
Every night I just hope the next day is better. I really have to work on myself as well and try to be a little bit more patient and keep my cool. It's just very frustrating. I look back at pictures of her when she was a baby and couldn't imagine getting so angry at that little face and yet here I am.
If only I had known how easy infants are. I thought things would get easier as they got older but I am finding out it is the exact opposite.
Tomorrow is another day...
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