HildaW - spot on. If a 2 year old hits and gets a dramatic reaction that is exactly what is rewarding the hitting behaviour.
"Catch him doing something good" T on previous page, I agree.
My GS was a bit of a nightmare at nearly 3. Saying No, throwing his weight around, asking for things in a whiny voice and, worst of all, running off, really fast, in crowded places.
2 year olds are attempting to rule the universe - and they are finding out just which bits they can control.
I was over there for 5 weeks (and parents happy for me to intervene - only too happy). Oh and we were on a timetable to get him potty trained to meet requirements of nursery too.
I concentrated on:
trying to use positive language all the time - trying never to say NO - the N word - 2 year olds hear it so much. And strictly avoiding the other N word - Naughty
Instead telling him he was a Good boy - he was starting to see himself as a naughty one
insisting he asked for things nicely with a Please Nana (he was a fluent talker)
and if he ran off, or did a sit down strike, in town, the thing he hated was to be picked up under my arm like a bit of baggage. Fortunately I could just about manage this.
(mum has now, at last, given up picking him up and carrying him on her hip - now he can walk 5 miles... but the carrying was rewarding the running off I think)
One day we saw a little lost boy talking to the police. We stood and talked about this at some length.
Another thing that made a huge difference, surprisingly, was on his 3rd birthday, after about 3 weeks of the above treatment, I had a grown up conversation about "big boys hold hands and walk with people.
While all this was going on, in between the wet pants and other accidents, I used to remind myself that he would be much better when he was 4. And he is really very easy now.
Army horses loose on London streets
Good Morning Thursday 25th April 2024
Lasr two letters continued Jan 24
It might seem an odd question but…..
Angela Rayner lashes out and calls Sunak “pint sized loser”.