I'm at my whits end with M

[ginger]

She changed classes at daycare last week. Something about it has made her do a complete 180. She's defiant, she's mean, she's a complete new child.

We're still sticking with our usual punishments for this behavior (i.e. taking away toys if she won't share, etc.). It's just that now she either laughs at us or goes into complete meltdown mode.

And did I mention she's mean?

Oh, and also, something about this week has caused her to completely revert in potty training. She was completely daytime trained for weeks, and now, she's completely backwards. It's like where we were before she was trained when she wanted to try. She pees without realizing it. Or she'll do it on purpose, but that's a completely different issue.



I don't like it. I don't know what to do.

[ginger]

Not sick.
Likes her new teacher.
Likes her new friends.
Likes her new big classroom. All this she's told me herself.

She's only 28 months...I'm screwed.

The ONLY thing I know to do is stick to our guns, give her clear rules and punishments (I give her one warning and then whatever punishment I've told her depending on what she's doing), etc.

I know that part's right. I just don't know if there's something else I should be doing.

Do we have her switched back to her old class?
Do I take her to the doctor?
This is exhausting.

I literally do not want to come home in the evenings because I know it will be Hell from the time I get her until bath.

[ginger]

Could it be that this is so different for us that it stresses us out too bad and she picks up on that?

[ElizabethBennet]

As far as the bathroom accidents, do you have her "help" you clean it up? I nannied for a little boy that would pee on the floor when he was in time out while he was going through potty training. After I made him help me clean it up a few times and then go back to time out it stopped.

[ginger]

Sometimes. It used to for real. You knew she was getting it.

Now sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. Tonight it did when we had to take away her toys for telling us to "leave my stuff alone!". She's never done the mine thing until this week. I suspect there's a little brat in her new class. Taking the stuff away, however, sent her into a fit of rage. We finally were able to coax her into calming down and went through our after punishment routine of talking about what happened, why we did it, and then she apologized and gave hugs and kisses.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Nothing is consistent with her behavior right now. I think that's throwing me off balance.

I think I just want an answer, and there may not be a tangible why. So I'm going to take your "threes early" and focus on getting through this. Of course now she's happily playing with daddy while he gives her a bath. Could she just be testing limits (In a really terrible, awful, hellish way)? Because I kind of see how she needed to find that boundary and now she's okay.

I think I also think too hard about these things.

[ginger]

Aug 18, 2012 18:35:57 GMT -5 ElizabethBennet said:

As far as the bathroom accidents, do you have her "help" you clean it up? I nannied for a little boy that would pee on the floor when he was in time out while he was going through potty training. After I made him help me clean it up a few times and then go back to time out it stopped.

I wish I could. We have carpet so we have to use Resolve to clean.

I did have her take her wet clothes to the washing machine once, but that was really fun for her. She loved doing it because she felt big. Doh!