X-posted in Toddlers.
DD has just started hitting me. We had a great morning, but I pushed it too far with a quick stop at the grocery store. When we got home she was tired and hungry and crabby. She wanted me to go in the garage door, while she goes in the front door. Fine, she thinks that's fun, and I usually do it. This time, though, my hands were full of groceries and I was about to drop everything. I didn't want to walk all the way to the other side of the house. She was very upset. Screaming, crying, the works. She hit me. I told her that I didn't like being hit and that it hurt me. I stepped away from her so that she couldn't hit me. (She was sitting on the counter at this point.) She was screaming, "Mama, come back!" I said, "I don't want to go over by you if you are going to hit me. Can you be gentle?" She said, "No! Ani hit Mama!" Argh. She starts melting down more and more and is looking more and more pitiful so I finally go and pick her up. She hits me.
I tell her that I don't like it when she hits me. Then she says, "Okay, gentle." And she kisses me and touches me gently. She says, "Mama happy now?" I said, "Yes, thank you."
So did I handle this right? Because she's just not getting the message. She usually hits only when she's tired/hungry/has something else going one. She sometimes thinks it's funny and always looks for a reaction. Would it be better to ignore it? Or should I keep telling her that it makes me sad?
She totally gets that giving a hug/kiss makes people happy, but just because you're going to kiss someone afterwards, doesn't mean that you can hit them!
DD has just started hitting me. We had a great morning, but I pushed it too far with a quick stop at the grocery store. When we got home she was tired and hungry and crabby. She wanted me to go in the garage door, while she goes in the front door. Fine, she thinks that's fun, and I usually do it. This time, though, my hands were full of groceries and I was about to drop everything. I didn't want to walk all the way to the other side of the house. She was very upset. Screaming, crying, the works. She hit me. I told her that I didn't like being hit and that it hurt me. I stepped away from her so that she couldn't hit me. (She was sitting on the counter at this point.) She was screaming, "Mama, come back!" I said, "I don't want to go over by you if you are going to hit me. Can you be gentle?" She said, "No! Ani hit Mama!" Argh. She starts melting down more and more and is looking more and more pitiful so I finally go and pick her up. She hits me.
I tell her that I don't like it when she hits me. Then she says, "Okay, gentle." And she kisses me and touches me gently. She says, "Mama happy now?" I said, "Yes, thank you."
So did I handle this right? Because she's just not getting the message. She usually hits only when she's tired/hungry/has something else going one. She sometimes thinks it's funny and always looks for a reaction. Would it be better to ignore it? Or should I keep telling her that it makes me sad?
She totally gets that giving a hug/kiss makes people happy, but just because you're going to kiss someone afterwards, doesn't mean that you can hit them!
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I hope you find a good solution to teaching your daughter not to hit you! I've gotten hit HARD, in the face, in church, by the wildly flailing arms of 2 yo DS who is just excited to be dancing to the church music 
It's embarassing and I wonder if other people think I'm letting him walk over me...
