Tuesday, July 7, 2009

3 is harder than 2.

Porgie has transformed into a beast. Seriously, the kid is almost impossible to deal with. She whines A LOT. I swear she whines more now than she ever did in the past. She thinks she calls all the shots around here. She doesn't ask for things - she just takes them. She is aggressive toward Izzy. She kicks him and hits him and slaps him upside the head. She is openly defiant. My baby girl is turning into a monster.

For weeks now, I have felt a little stressed out. I yell too much, and it makes me feel like a bad mother. But there is no way around it. She just keeps pushing, pushing, pushing. Sometimes the urge to give her a swift spank on the ass is overwhelming. But instead of hitting, I yell and give time-outs repeatedly. It is wearing me out. The terrible twos were nothing compared to the demonic threes.

I really thought the swing set in the backyard would snap her out of this crazy behavior. I tried to convince myself that maybe she was just bored. But her crazy behavior has continued unabated.

Below, I will illustrate the first hour of our morning:
Porgie wakes up. She whines to go outside. She refuses to eat breakfast, because she wants to go play. After 15 minutes, I give up on breakfast. We walkout the backdoor, and she starts whining for juice. I hand her a cup of milk that I have already poured. She cries. And cries. And cries. She throws the milk on the ground. She kicks Izzy in the face. She demands that I push her on the swing and go down the slide and play in the sandbox. She whines to go inside. When we get in the house, she whines to watch TV. When I tell her no, she cries. And cries. And cries. Finally, I can't take it anymore. I tell her she needs to stop whining or she is going to time-out. She doesn't stop whining. I yank her up and toss her butt into the time-out chair. She sobs. I yell. Rinse and repeat 200 times per day.

This kid is kicking my ass. She is so stubborn and willful and irritating. And she is only three. She is lucky she is so cuddly and cute. I despair for my future. Can you imagine Porgie during puberty? The thought sends cold chills down my spine.

12 comments:

Jen said...

My mom says the same thing about three being worse than two. Gob help me. My child is a total tantrumming beast and he is only 19 months!

Chris said...

Oh man. You have your hands full! I have no idea what 3 is like so take this with a grain of salt, if you like. But have you considered all whining has to be done in her room? I read that once somewhere... don't remember where. Any whining and she goes to her room. She can come out when she can talk "normally."

Hope things turn around soon or you get a huge bottle of wine. :)

Anonymous said...

Does it help to hear that the same thing is happening at our house? Just weeks before her 3rd birthday, Cupcake began with the whining and yelling and pushing and generally doing everything in her power to drive us mad. Bedtime especially. Everything is a tantrum.

We've been able to keep the time-outs to a minimum, however it hasn't been easy for us. A lot of ignoring, distracting and redirecting. Sigh. We DO have time-outs for violence. Zero tolerance policy!

Hang in there. I hear that they outgrow it... though I don't know what horrors may lie ahead!

Danielle said...

ugh...that does not sound fun. My 21month old head butts me when she doesn't get her way-almost gave mea black eye.

amanda said...

i don't want to know this.

i fear this.

i wish i could help friend.

Rachel said...

My sister who babysat for a while says that 3 is far worse than 2. I am sorry porgie is being this way. You are a good mom. seriously.

Clare said...

i tell chris that i swear bradley is going to be an interagator when he grows up. he seriously can just wear me down with stuff, even after i say 'no' 100 times!!

Lainey-Paney said...

Porgie & my Gage must have gotten the same toddler operating instructions.
...he does the saaaame thing.
I can definitely relate to the backyard fort play; wanting to do it allllll day, & throwing a fit when it's time to go in, etc.
That is the very reason I won't even buy one of those little kiddie pools. I'm not listening to him whine for hours to play in it every second of every day.
UGh!

Just Jiff said...

All I can say is that I've heard it gets better at 4. Does your area offer a 3 year old pre-k? I think you mentioned it before, but maybe it would be good for her if you guys can afford it.

If not, hang in there!

dani said...

three's are worse than two's... puberty's the wors(T)... and, yes, it helps a lot that we love them and that they are cute:)
l,
d

Unknown said...

Yeah, Nora is suddenly bossy and complainy and defiant. Must be age three.

Nellie said...

Ok. As not funny as that is... the way you wrote about it is hilarious!