Dont and No have started ruling the house again. I just seem to be dealing with some new agenda every day.
Combing/Brushing Teeth: Girl has to be persuaded for it still. While she is usually ready to get her hair combed, she does like to run her hand in the hair to check whether I have set it right, hence ruining any notion of combed hair.
As far as brushing on a daily basis is concerned, the girl negotiates it every day. Some days we brush on some song, other days she is set on crying not matter what, and the toothpaste must not get anywhere near her cheeks or outer rim of the lips or the Gods are woken up from their holy slumber.
As far as potty training is concerned, I have pretty much stopped pushing her to do potty in anything but her diaper, because this was not going anywhere. However, there has been a regression on the peeing in the toilet as well. My girl, who was going to toilet every time the need to pee be, has decided to not do it. She point blank refuses to go pee.
I know she has been holding it, but just can't make her do it. She decides every night if she is willing to pee before going to bed, and lately it is just 'no'. She decides if she will like to go pee every morning after waking up. It got impossible and so tiring that I just stopped asking. She sometimes goes to school in the morning without peeing at all.
A really unnerving episode happened yesterday when Figlia did quite a bit of exercise to get some thing from the top shelf and feed it to the baby. It was M's vitamin drops, and she was giving 'medicine'. I hid everything. I told her to never ever give or feed baby anything without asking an adult first and she has pretty much nayed that suggestion too.
However, she does share her pillow with the baby...the pillow that no one can lay their head on if she is around, and we were surprised to see it. She talks to the baby, tells him stuff, and shows him stuff. She likes to inform him that she has returned from school, even if it is the baby's problem that he is asleep.
Who cares how her hair turns out, as long as the comb has run through it to get the worst of the knots out? Don't be so rigid! :) And there's no sense in worrying about potty training until she has worked out all of her angst about having a new baby in the house stealing all the attention. You'll get back to it.
ReplyDeleteYou will have to be very harsh/emphatic about giving things to the baby until he's old enough to defend himself. Even well-meant toy sharing can be hazardous. I don't know, maybe explain how babies are different and she's much better at understanding what's good for her but he doesn't know yet so it's her job to protect him and not let him have anything without checking with the adults first? Give her a superiority complex for a while. (I know - it will go to her head, but she'll pay attention if she's put in charge.)
Ah, the "giving stuff ot the baby". Honestly, I am clueless how we got through two years of no incidents in this respect. I hope the superiority complex that A is talking about above is what does the trick. The pool of worries is bottomless. And there's always fresh worries coming up.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who found a miracle detangling brush, it works pretty quick and the girls can actually sit the five needed seconds, and their hair looks much better. Let me know if you want me to send you a link.