Anyone that has watched Keaton eat knows that he is without question a bottomless pit. This week, he was introduced to tater tots for the first time, and I think he’s in love. Of course, he’s in love with any food pretty much, but this was one of the first things that he ate LOTS of without licking the ketchup off 3-4 times first. On the other hand, Hayden will eat anything dipped in ketchup almost immediately – from pineapple, peaches, and rice, to green beans, bread, and salad – if it’s dipped in ketchup (& he eats it normally) he’ll eat a boatload of it.
However, Hayden has never (I swear, never) thrown the kind of temper tantrums that Keaton has recently developed. If he doesn’t get what he wants (Wii controller, cookie) or is forced into something he doesn’t want (bedtime, diaper change), he either bursts into a long, loud wail (which is annoying enough) or if you try to actually hold him, he arches his back and completely flails himself down. I don’t know how many times his head has bonked the ground in an attempt to lay him down to sleep or to change a diaper.
The positive side to this is that Keaton is starting to stand up to Hayden when Hayden takes toys away from him (which is also becoming more frequent)… or at least scream loudly and let himself be heard. Hayden’s favorite phrase these days is, “Let’s trade, Keaton.” This is usually followed by Hayden picking up whatever toy is nearest, handing it to Keaton, and taking whatever toy Keaton was already playing with. These not-so-even trades have sparked discussions about how Keaton needs to agree in order to trade. Of course, I can’t watch them every moment, but I do think it’s important to let them “work it out” sometimes… and give them the basic guidelines they need to do that fairly.
That sounds stressful. Write more about this topic to tell about strategies that work to manage problem behavior – temper tantrums, unfair toy trading – because I am curious about how to be a great parent! And I bet you read lots of parenting books and such.
I actually have to admit that I rarely read an actual self-help book, although I often search online for short answers to my questions.
In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever started and finished any non-fiction, topic related book, except _So That’s What They’re For_ (a fabulously hilarious look at breastfeeding that was also quite informative).