headstrong two year old boy

MammyJ

my 25 month old boy is giving me an awful hard time lately!
he has always been quite mischievious but lately his behaviour is fairly bold. the actual behaviour is probably normal boy stuff but he is so headstrong that he won't listen to being told to stop. this is what i am finding so difficult. he just will not stop and listen or follow direction - he only wants to do his own thing even if he knows he is not suppossed to. he has talked quite well for the last 4-5 months - i nderstand him very well and he understands me!
he is sent to his room for hitting or very negative behaviours and he understands that this is a punishment.
any advice would be appreciated.

Lisha

I could have written your post a few yrs ago.
My son is now 5.5 and boy was he headstrong.
We used to have full on arguements.
I then realised that I was only teaching him to argue.
So i changed my behaviour.
I stopped arguing and negotiating.
I just offered him two choices and then if he refused told him what the consequence would be and stuck to it.
The calmer I was the calmer he became.
But I had to walk away sometimes they really can push your button at times.

Best of luck

Das Kitty

I found the "step" a great tool. One warning and then to the step for 2 minutes of being ignored. It's amazing how they actually stay put and the behaviour gets better after the hug at the end. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't experience it myself.

I still use it sometimes but it's closer to once a week now at 3 than the 3-4 times a day when he was 2 :P

I think it's great to give them time to calm down out of the state they get themselves in over things we see as trivial. The toddler boiling point is quite low as they learn to deal with a grown up world.

Hannibal Smith

oh I could have written your post this time last year! I think the fact they understand you makes it worse because you think if you can understand what I say you can understand what you're doing.

Time out worked with us. we put him on a step at the bottom of the stairs...for a second offence of the same kind we took a toy away for a day. But time out is great because it gives you both a chance to chill.

Also when he was good we praised the bejaysus out of him....he'd pick a toy or something up off the floor and all we were short of doing was organising a street parade

Slowly he came round...but I think it was more age than anything that chilled him out.

Good luck!

nesf

Lisha wrote: »

I could have written your post a few yrs ago.
My son is now 5.5 and boy was he headstrong.
We used to have full on arguements.
I then realised that I was only teaching him to argue.
So i changed my behaviour.
I stopped arguing and negotiating.
I just offered him two choices and then if he refused told him what the consequence would be and stuck to it.
The calmer I was the calmer he became.
But I had to walk away sometimes they really can push your button at times.

Best of luck

This, don't argue with them, give them a choice of doing it or not doing it and clearly spell out reasonable consequences for not doing it and always follow through on them.

Queen-Mise

+1 on naughty step and not arguing. Arguing is still giving them attention - even if it is negative.

And I would give a -1 to being sent to his room only because he has so many toys etc. there, that essentially it is not a punishment.

Oh and pick your arguments to ones you can win 500%, all others walk away from and learn the art of distraction.