I don't know what to do!!!!

[jennpn]

I honestly did not think I would ever say this so easily. I am the mother with the answers, I had found my parenting groove and had the delightful, sweet, compassionate and bright toddler to show for it...where he went I would LOVE to know!

In the last couple of weeks this previously NEVER aggresive boy (24 months) has begun grabbing, hitting, pinching, biting, kicking etc etc etc... much is unprovoked and will do it to a child calmy standing there minding their own buisiness. It is mortifying.

We model gentleness in our home, he has never been spanked or yelled at but I find myself genuinly ANGRY with him when he behaves like this. He will sit out for a moment, I will have a chat with him about using "gentle touches and words (he is very verbal) and will usually say sorry on his own...followed by a smack! AHHHHHH!!!!

Help me! What have you done that has helped your sweet little boy with aggression learn self control pronto!

We are consistant 100% of the time. He KNOWS this is unacceptable behaviour and yet the normal people pleaser will not stop.

[sewaneecook]

I could have written your post about a year ago when my sweet toddler turned in to a biter. Luckily it was a phase that he went through and it stopped on its own after a couple months. I made sure to watch his cues for when he may bite and tried to intervene. :

[lotus.blossom]

I too know where you are at right now. I had to spend almost all of age 2 at our home by ourselves. My son could not be trusted with ANYONE. Whether we knew them or not. I spent a lot of tearful drives away from playgroups and storytimes. I am happy to say at 3 he is no longer aggressive. He is a delight again (our current issue is sharing and posessiveness!)

I wish there was an easier answer but just waiting it out is the best I could do. Also finding another mama with a child at a similar stage can be comforting. If they scratch and bite and smack each other then you don't feel quite as bad as when your child is the lone aggressor.

[grumpybear]

That was pretty much my son several mos ago (when he was a little less than 3). He was kind of new to the whole playground scene and did not quite know how to deal with other kids. He'd push the kids away. I told him what to do instead and still it kept happening.
So the rule was, if he hits/pushes/shoves any of the kids, we'd go home and we'd have a talk over what transpired. It took about two days for it to sink in with him and that was that.
That is pretty much my rule for hitting/hurting other kids- I take him away from the situation. He already knows it is wrong, it was just a matter of impulse control, I think.

[sebandg'smama]

You have been given good advice.

I just wanted to add that it wasn't until I had my second child did I really realize that it wasn't actually my parenting style that made my firstborn son so easy to parent! DD taught me humility big time!

My mantra during these times is "this too shall pass"
Your sweet boy is still there, he's just learning.

-Melanie