Please tell me

[sunnymw]

that once we move, things will improve.

Right now I have an almost 3 year old and a 1 year old. DS1 is especially wild. We live in a very small place, five of us in a 2BR apartment with no yard and always needing to be quiet and INSIDE. When we go outside we have to keep reminding the kids to stay ON THE PORCH (no boundary anywhere) and just wind up pulling them back in until we get too frustrated and come back inside. Almost all of *their* playroom is in storage (ie, playstands, and all of their wooden toys--right now it's just electronic/plastic stuff and too dang much TV, we moved in here with a family member out of family emergency).

Anyway, we are about to move to a 3BR house with a den. A PLAY ROOM! And a FENCED IN YARD!! Where he will actually be allowed to run, play, and SCREAM!!!! (Because I feel SO STUPID telling DS1 to "use his inside voice" when we are outside here!!)

Please tell me that
A. My super-spazz will start napping again. PLEASE.
B. My super-spazz will be able to get some of his wild willies out while running outside.
C. My kids will calm down and not throw as many tantrums when they are in an environment where I am able to say "YES" instead of always "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO"

[LynnS6]

It will get better. Really it will. The move will be hard, but once you're there, things will be better.

Can you go to a park every day? Is there ANYWHERE nearby where he can run and scream and not worry about the neighbors?

[sunnymw]

No shade at the park, and we do have one of those indoor places with the blow-up things but it's $4 per kiddo so $10 for both (and we're... broke... so we go once a week maybe?). I'd totally do the park anyway except the heat index is usually 105-110 and we've already had a few people die in the area at least at our new house they'll be able to run in-out-drink-out-in-out and plus there's a covered back porch

11 more days. 11 more days. 11 more days.

[fritz]

A. No guarantees. But being able to burn off the extra energy by going outside should help tire him out.
B. Running around outside is a great release for excess energy. So is being loud and not getting in trouble for it. Should make a big difference.
C. Definitely fewer tantrums when they're hearing fewer NOs.

I feel part of your pain, as we were stuck in a small apartment for months (waiting for our old out of state house to sell) before we could move into our new-to-us house. DS was definitely happier when our stress levels dropped after our move. And looking back, it's easy to say there were lots of improvements in his behavior after the move b/c it was so clearly, oh yeah, in the apt he did xyz vs. now in the house he's doing abc. If we'd never moved at all, it just would have all blended together b/c it would have taken place in the same location.

And if you have to spend a night or two in the new place while it's empty, don't worry about the bareness--my DS (who was 2.5yo at the time) LOVED running around the huge empty spaces inside. It was a big adventure. And seeing the joy on his face when we unpacked his old toys that he hadn't seen in 8 months was awesome.

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by sunnymw

No shade at the park, and we do have one of those indoor places with the blow-up things but it's $4 per kiddo so $10 for both (and we're... broke... so we go once a week maybe?). I'd totally do the park anyway except the heat index is usually 105-110 and we've already had a few people die in the area at least at our new house they'll be able to run in-out-drink-out-in-out and plus there's a covered back porch

11 more days. 11 more days. 11 more days.

Can you go the park at 8 am for an hour and 7 pm for another hour? Bring big bottles of water. I think it's REALLY important to run around.

Do you have a car? bring him to the mall or some other large place and walk and walk and walk. You don't have to buy anything.


Any McD's playlands? Again, you can just go and play.

[Grace and Granola]

Oh mama, things are going to get so much better! I was living your life up until a month ago. For TWO YEARS we lived with a friend in a fairly small house with a very small front yard to play in. Apart from the size of the place, the worst part was that nothing was OURS. It was very much "no touch" to alot of stuff. All that "set your child up for success" was nearly impossible. I went from feeling like a fantastic GD parent to the mom I never wanted to be. TV was on way more than I wanted because it was the only way to get my two high energy boys to be still so I could stop hovering. WELL, we just moved four weeks ago. We have a roomy house and the best fenced back yard. I always dreamed that this would be the answer to all my problems, and really it is!! We have a playset with a sandbox and for the first week, the boys would be in the sandbox for an hour at a time!! I almost didn't know what to do with myself the first time I was inside checking my email and the house was QUIET. I was sitting on my couch, with my laptop, looking out the window to the backyard where my boys were exploring and playing together. They were not fighting about sharing toys or getting in each other's way. Oh, the beauty of it all. I am so excited for YOU!

Sleep...not alot of that happening. But, it's ok, because everything else is better!

I can't wait to hear about your transition. I remember when it was just.11.more.days.

[savithny]

We lived in a small apartment until my kids were 6 and 3. Then we moved into a small house -- which has a basement to run around in when the weather is bad, and a big yard to run around in when the weather is not bad enough to stay in.

And it really has made a big difference. Being able to turn my antsy kids out into the yard has been so great. Being able to let them bounce around without worrying that the downstairs neighbors would call the landlord has been SO GREAT. My kids spend hours building forts in the bushes and tying ropes around trees.

Even if it isn't a lot more space, just having free and ready access to outdoor play seems to make such a difference!