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I have a 10 yo dsd who is extremely orally fixated, has pretty lousy table manners, and loves to teach her little sis (my 2 yo dd) "tricks" like inhaling food off her plate, making faces with mouth full of food, pretend crying, etc. and encourages games that leave little sis in an uncomfortable state (like wading into a pond up to her waist so her pants and undies are soaked for a walk home on a cool evening or pouring water over her head in the kitchen when the two of them are playing at the water table or pretending to not understand what the 2 yo is saying to the point where 2 yo gets frustrated and starts fussing, or waiting as long as possible - again more fussing and sometimes tears - before giving back something that 2 yo has asked for).
So, in addition to the numerous challenges raising a 2 yo presents, I have the added challenges of encouraging a toddler who likes to copy to not put her fingers in her mouth whenever she sees her big sis do it, not put her elbows on the table or make faces for a reaction at dinnertime, and also encouraging the 10 yo not to use her developmental sophistication to take advantage of her younger sister or act like a 2 yo herself by doing things that make her sister cry ("I have power over you").
Any suggestions? I feel that maybe I am much more irritated and angry than I would be if dsd was my biological offspring. I also feel that maybe my expectations are too high for dsd, and I'm thinking she should know better at her age or be able to handle a 2 year old's different needs without acting like one herself when really this is normal behavior for a 10 yo. Is it?
So, in addition to the numerous challenges raising a 2 yo presents, I have the added challenges of encouraging a toddler who likes to copy to not put her fingers in her mouth whenever she sees her big sis do it, not put her elbows on the table or make faces for a reaction at dinnertime, and also encouraging the 10 yo not to use her developmental sophistication to take advantage of her younger sister or act like a 2 yo herself by doing things that make her sister cry ("I have power over you").
Any suggestions? I feel that maybe I am much more irritated and angry than I would be if dsd was my biological offspring. I also feel that maybe my expectations are too high for dsd, and I'm thinking she should know better at her age or be able to handle a 2 year old's different needs without acting like one herself when really this is normal behavior for a 10 yo. Is it?