At 21 months old my toddler son is at a new stage of his development. I am starting to see a bit more of his behaviour that can be very challenging. Could it be a sign of his character that he is showing us?
As a mother, you are more likely to pay attention to everything related to your child development. I might identify very early on what kind of character my son has.
Different Stages
Of course, I am very conscious that children behave more or less the same way at different age stages.
For instance, there is a time that everything is “no, no, no”. My son is still at this phase since a few months now.
He understands very well the meaning of it. Sometimes, when he misbehaves, he is the one saying no before I could say it. How clever!
Or, some other time, it’s sound like a game for him. He says ‘no’ with a big smile.
Also, another stage that I would assume all toddlers enjoy doing are to tell you what to do or where to put things. Even without proper sentences, like my son, they can make themselves understood. My son uses gestures to communicate with me.
Another behaviour that my son has developed through the past month is the tendency to systematically throwing things (toys, or any object) away.
This kind of behaviour in the development stage is normal for some children. I would think so.
With my son, I’ve realised why he would drop things. I found three different reasons.
First, to have fun, he just likes doing it all over his play area.
Then, when he is frustrated.
Finally, when he is happy to see somebody entering in the room where he is.
So far, nothing very surprising you would argue…
Full of nerves
However, what I am most concerned with is when he is so frustrated, how sensitive and emotional he becomes. I know he has already been identified as a screamer (that’s was the term used by his doctor) but it is getting worse.
You might think that he is just reacting to a present situation. However, my intuition is telling me that he is somebody who is very impatient. He seems that he doesn’t like to deal with obstacles.
You have to see how full of nerves this little body become when he is frustrated. And you will understand where I am coming from.
So, I am teaching him to resolve solution by being calm first and then being patient. Not always easy as he does not speak yet.
Misbehaving
I’ve started being really worried when his behaviour chocked me recently.
A couple weeks ago, we were at a playground. It was very hot that day and we were only a few people there.
My son brought along a wooden train that he played with for a little while and then he left it aside to go and play around. A boy who was a bit older than him, asked me if he could play with my son’s toy. Since Joshua was busy doing something else. I agreed that he could play with the train.
Then, when my son saw the boy playing with his toy, he was not happy about it. Joshua, tried to reach the train from the boy but he would not let my son have it.
As, my son realised that he couldn’t get it. He kicked in his own toy. Then, he kicked the little boy’s leg.
I couldn’t believe my own eyes. I’ve never seen him doing that before.
A few days later, my son and I were enjoying a day out at the lawn of the town hall. It was hot as well that day. I was seated on a large cloth while my son was standing not far from me. A little while later, there was a little boy who was playing nearby with a toy. Then, my son went to him and kicked in the boy’s toy!!
I couldn’t comprehend this behaviour since there was no interaction between that boy and my son. What was the purpose of my toddler son to do that? Jealousy? No clue.
In less than a week, I saw my son behaving in a way that I didn’t like. The direction where his character lead to should be in my opinion corrected on a very early stages.
So, I am monitoring very closely his behaviour and improve it when necessary.
Please share here your story and let us know if your child misbehaved.
What did you do? Thanks in advance for your input.
