Observations of 3 ~ Support group for parents of Three Year Olds! - Page 7

[kerc]

not much time now but OMG how have I missed this thread? so just subscribing so I can find it again.

[klstomi]

Let's feel all our 3 year old pain together

for all of us!

All my friends warned me that is wasn't the 'terrible twos' but the threes that were awful. They were so right! Ds is an angel one moment and the next: biting,kicking, hitting etc. The guilt is SOOOOOOOOOOOO overwhelming. I think, "What have I done wrong to make him act like this?" So overwhelming especially as a single parent! I never taught him to do this stuff! Where is it coming from? Can I survive a year of this? Totally unsure of last question! DS dragging feet on potty, all my choice cuss words have to be eliminated because he repeats , won't stay in time out, ......still wonderful but who is he? Not exactly who I brought into this world.

[bwylde]

With DS it was totally terrible, but DD is a dream child IMO. She has always been so sweet, lovable, kind and thoughtful. She loves to share and has never had to of been asked to do so. She gives hugs and kisses all the time. If she is excited about something (for example, when we were looking at pictures), she will keep hugging who ever is close by and will say "I love you!!" a lot. She listens well, puts things away and will help if we need her to.

Yes, she has her times. She still nurses....a lot! That wears one me. Her feelings are very easily hurt and if she starts crying about something, she can be at it all day unless I can find something to distract her (she really upset a girl at the playground one day because she was howling for about 10-15 minutes when she couldn't get the swing right when she wanted it). She gets very upset if something is unjust as everything has to be fair.

So she's a wonderful child but has her times (although infrequently). DS was the total opposite. Of course he is still a challenge to parent; some kids are easier than others!

[marieangela]

This is funny to see again. The 3 year old that I posted about on this thread is nearly 5 1/2 now and my little one is almost 3. They are so different. Whereas, ds1 was a very easy two year old and a harder 3-4 year old, ds2 is quite the challenging 2 year old. I hope my theory that easy 2s make for harder 3/4s and harder 2s make for easier 3/4s is right! It's looking like my little wild one will only be more challenging as time goes on, though.

[Periwinkle]

My 3 year-old (our third child) has been our "easiest" so far, but I think a lot of that comes just from experience as well as adjusted expectations, lol.

He is easier in a lot of ways than at 2... continuing to increase his ability to play independently, feeding/eating is a lot easier because he can totally feed himself now and spills a lot less, he's weaned now, sleeping much more consistently and longer at night, a lot more social and all three kids play really great together, extremely verbal and able to explain feelings ("I'm mad right now because she won't ____" or whatever).

Then there are the challenges of 3... the nap is starting to get pretty dicey (whether he'll nap is anyone's guess - he naps about 5 days out of 7 but even if he's exhausted from a big morning sometimes he won't nap and then he's MISERABLE by like 5-6pm and then when he DOES nap he has trouble falling asleep at bedtime)... he now has a very clear idea of how he wants things done and when they aren't done according to his exacting specifications lol he is more likely to have a fuss over it (e.g., art projects, how he wants his sandcastle to look, etc.) - kind of like he wants to be able to do it like a bigger kid and gets frustrated when his grand plan doesn't work out... playing with a more diverse group of kids brings the first experiences with bullying and kids who don't play nicely and that is always hard (probably almost more for the parents)... and just getting more tantrumy/whiny - it's almost like they go through 2 and you have that a little bit but then as they mature and SHOULD be able to talk their way out of something or handle frustration they go through this period (in my kids it's always been age 3 to 3 1/2+) where they almost regress and can handle frustration WORSE than at 2. It's like, okay, I'm sorry I took the lid of your yogurt and you wanted to do it but let's move on. My 6 year-olds are totally unfazed by this stuff anymore and they shake their heads like WHY is he so upset about his yogurt, lol. Uh, because he's 3.

[mamabeca]

I can't believe this thread is four years old! Thats amazing!

I have a 3yo who was 3 in Jan. Holy moly - he went from being the most wonderful 2yo ever to being a holy terror. NIGHTMARE most days, but always with moments of true endearment. Too bad we can't put pictures up, but there are loads of pics of him on my blog (just scroll down a bit). At any rate, it's great to commiserate, notice, and discuss w/others in the same boat.

What I noticed today is that he's way more aware of people discussing HIM than he used to be. He's 3.25 right now, and even right at 3 he was kinda clueless about that kind of stuff. Now, though, he's totally a ham in company and really likes to be the center of attention.

Also I got quite sharp with him at bedtime today, and instead of being at all remorseful (after 11 VERY fun and full hours of entertainment by yours truly) he said, I just want some love, mama. Geesh - go melt someone's heart who isn't on overtime, is what I felt like saying, but he got another hug, another kiss, and another DO NOT GET OUT OF BED from me, instead.

[bwylde]

lol! I just noticed the date on it. I thought the later posts we newer :. Oh well, it was fun reading and comparing since 3 year olds are just so individual.