I swear he's a budding sadomasochist...

[TheOtherVillainess]

Tues night, DH had run out do something..some errand. I was at home with DS and he demanded to get up on the couch with me to drink his milk. Fine. I helped him onto the couch,where he immediately started yanking on my hair, laughing as though he were quite insane. I slapped at his hands, told him no and pushed him away. He still laughed and reached for my hair.

Finally,after a few minutes of this I had HAD it up to here (which is a very dangerous thing..my head starts to go 'splodey and lasers shoot out my eyes). I grabbed his butt up and put him in his crib. I explained he was getting NO story and NO singing or rocking tonight because he insisted on pulling my hair after I told him no and attempted to punish him.

He,of course, protested with wailing and gnashing of teeth. *headdesk*

But I did not give in! Nay..I stood firm and watched him bang his head into the wooden bars of his cage..uh..I mean crib. He howled at me and threw his paci at me. I was like a granite statue, unmovable as..something large, stony and unmovable.

Was I being too harsh? Is it TOO much to ask to try and make my soon to be 2 year old LEARN not to pull hair? *sigh*

TOV

 

[mommaU4]

Maybe you could find a way to benefit from his behaviour. You know, as he grows help him to fine tune it, so when he's an adult he can put it to good use. I'll tell ya, some people pay good money to have that sort of stuff done to them!


Just kidding. I really have no great advice, hense the pathetic attempt at humor. All I can say is good luck and thank God for naptime.

 

[barkley]

mine broke my nose twice before he was three! swore i was going to report the little sucker for elder abuse!

 

[Cass]

Wow... did you try pulling his hair (once) - so he would understand how it felt?

Maybe he doesn't realize it hurts.

 

[Minnesota!]

Why didn't you try a distraction? Instead of continung to sit on the couch, grab him and both of you sit on the floor and read a book, or play a game, roll a ball. He obvisouly wanted your attention...

 

[LisaNJ25]

Hmm want another one???? You can borrow my 16mo. She gets into the "evil trances" I call them and attacks everyone. She tries to get rough with my 4mo by getting in his face and grabbing his belly. My 4mo just laughs which keeps her going.

 

[janette]

You stop the behavior, hold their hands look them in the eye and say "It hurts Mommy when you pull my hair" and keep repeating if they persist you separate yourself. Their attention span is a fraction of a second, they cannot make the connection to you not holding them that night to the earlier hair pulling. Consequences have to be immediate or they won't be any good.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Janette--I've tried that. It doesn't work. I've tried yelling OUCHIE! and crying when he does it, to make him realize it hurts. I've tried pulling HIS hair, which doesn't seem to bother him.

He'd had my attention all afternoon and evening. He was supposed to be winding down to go to bed (hence the bottle). I was just at my wit's end with him, I think.

TOV

 

[janette]

It usually takes several times before they get it, you just keep at it.

It's okay to walk away when you've reached your frustration point. We've all been there and they'll get over it.

Just don't expect them to connect the no kisses and hugs at bedtime with something that happened earlier that day.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I put him to bed directly after the hair pulling incident, hoping he'd connect the two. I doubt he did though. Perhaps I was expecting too much?

Makes me glad that today was my afternoon off. DH won't get off work for another ten minutes, which means I've had about 4 hrs so far (and another hour and a half or so to come,because it'll take him that long to get DS and then drive home) to just chill and have 'me' time. I love 'me' time.

TOV