Friday, July 1, 2011

The Toddler Years

I don’t know how I am going to survive.  I thought I was a very patient person but I’m discovering that having a toddler takes more patience than I might have... and definitely way more energy than I have.  Some days I feel like either breaking down in tears or screaming,

Kiana is 20 months and is getting to the age where she is testing her boundaries, climbing on everything, getting into everything, not listening, and throwing tantrums.  I read up on toddler discipline: to be consistent, to pick your battles, to be patient, to stick to your guns.  But soon, if not already, she’s going to discover that mom can’t catch her and I’m afraid she’s going to take advantage of that.  

I’m not sure how I am going to approach this.  It’s not like I can just easily pick her up and remove her from the situation or room  Or if she gets ahold of something she’s not supposed to have, I can’t just chase her around the house (fyi: dangerous things are far from reach or in locked drawers).  Or what about time-outs?  How am I supposed to get her to the time-out chair?  I’ve considered doing what all mom’s do, counting one-two-three, but then I wonder what can I physically do once I get to three?   That is going to be ineffective because she’s going to learn that I can’t do anything once I get to three because I can’t pick her up or I can’t catch her.

This is going to be frustrating for me.  Sometimes after I’ve taken her off of the counter top or table three times in a row I feel like just giving up (I have to sit in a chair to remove her because I don’t have the balance to remove her while standing), but letting her on the counter top to get into things she’s not supposed to is not only dangerous but also inconsistent when I tell her no the first three times.  

Any other physically disabled mothers have any pointers for me?  What worked for you?

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