"Don't touch my body"

[Fiercemama]

Having a very challenging day/week/month/year with DD. Everybody talks all about 'the twos', but they never tell you about the threes!!!

DD is very articulate and verbal. She is also very self-possessed. Which I love and adore about her and it just makes me beam with pride. But sometimes it comes around to bite me in the bum.

She has no problem using the words "don't touch my body". But she uses them when I am trying to help her with tasks that she still can't do well enough on her own - tooth brushing, hair brushing (the biggie), sometimes face washing, or applying sunscreen.

Sometimes I get so stressed in the mornings, I don't have time to coax her into doing these tasks (and we have a fairly consistent yet relaxed routine). I let her start out the job, but take up the brush myself. All the time, she's hollering "don't touch my body".

I want her to feel confident in using those words when she REALLY needs them. I want her to feel that she can say them to anyone, even an adult. But I also feel like she's taking advantage of their power here. Yup, I'm feeling manipulated! WWYD?

[Silliest]

Dunno about the rest of your schedule/lifestyle, but frankly, my kids go around snotty,tangled, un-tooth-brushed and generally disheveled from time to time.

I have been traumatized by people not respecting my body-boundaries kind of a lot in my past, and whether I'm erring too much in the other direction is probably up for question, but when they say stop, I stop. If it means putting a diaper back on over a bottom with some poo smears still on it, well, they get sore, and eventually ask for help.

It also helps when I ask them not to touch *me* and *my* things that they are sued to me respscting *their* wishes.

Obviously, there are times... kid standing in traffic doesn't want to move or be picked up, then they're just gonna have to be unhappy. Though I will try to explain and apologize later. And things don't always go smoothly. Right now they both want to go to the playground, but don't want to wear clothes. Naked at the playground is not an option for health and safety reasons as well as pervert-next-door reasons. I've explained and I've asked them to help me figure out what to do and all I get is "wanna go playground. Don't wanna put on clothes"

So here we sit.

But I'm not forcing the clothing on their bodies... yet <LOL!> If I go nuts enough sitting in the hot apartment with them I may break ;-p

[pamelamama]

No answers, but I am also wanting to be more respectful of my kids' body boundaries. I am such a bossy person sometimes, it's hard for me to see what I'm doing... but "Dont touch my body" would definitely make me back off!!

[meemee]

Originally Posted by Fiercemama

I want her to feel confident in using those words when she REALLY needs them. I want her to feel that she can say them to anyone, even an adult. But I also feel like she's taking advantage of their power here. Yup, I'm feeling manipulated! WWYD?

having a child who still at 2.75 absolutely hates her teeth brushed and hair brushed i would say when she tells u it is when she REALLY needs to. i feel my dd has some sensory issues thats why i have never found a solution to the problem. she cant stand her head being rubbed with a towel. sine it is uncomfortable, painful she is telling when she really means it. u may think it a trivial point. u have to do it everyday but ur dd doesnt.