War and Peace

Parenting is hard. That's my epiphany for the day - ha. Parenting K1 has been a struggle lately, and by lately I mean the last couple of months or so. Parenting is one of those things that is easier in the abstract. When you're not in the thick of it, the answers seem pretty straightforward. But when you are dealing with the same behaviors day in and day out, it can seem so futile and fruitless.

Sometimes I feel as though I am in some sort of hamster wheel - constantly spinning but not getting anywhere. K1 and I struggle through nearly predictable patterns... he does something he isn't supposed to, I correct him, he ignores me, I put him in timeout, he throws a fit, I send him to his room, he throws a bigger fit. There are variations, but that's the general pattern. I'm trying excruciatingly hard to be consistent -- I want him to understand there are consequences for his actions and those consequences are absolute. But mostly I just want to have a good day. A good day that doesn't consist of me blithely ignoring his bad behavior while he does the exact opposite of what I just told him to do, but instead a good day that consists of him (mostly) doing what I ask when I ask it and accepting my responses to his demands without whining and crying.

I've heard more than once that an easy baby makes for a hard toddler and a hard baby makes for an easy toddler. Well, K1 was about as easy a baby as they come. I'm not pigeon-holing him as a 'hard kid' yet though - he's got a great temperament and is just trying to assert his will. I know my job is to help him learn boundaries and channel his assertiveness. I just wish it was easier. Sigh.