Are kids easier to manage as they get older??

That’s what I thought when my son was a baby. I always said to myself, once he gets to the age where he can understand things and talk properly, it will be easier to deal with him. But, slowly I started realizing that this is not true. Actually, on some level I guess I always knew it was going to get difficult. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get him to listen to us. He used to fear time outs but now, it has become a joke to him. If we tell him not to do certain things, he just makes sure to do them. Sometimes he is just playing to see what the consequences will be. Shouting never worked with him in the past and it doesn’t work now. We have to talk with him peacefully and settle the issue. But, often times, we do not have the energy or the patience to talk.

On the other hand, he seems to have all the energy to talk all day non stop. It is very cute but at some point during the day, I just feel like I need some peace and quiet at home. He has already started asking questions about everything. Thank God he does is not asking the ‘Why’ questions yet. But, I guess, those are just around the corner. Sometimes, he is the sweetest, most adorable kid in this universe and half an hour later, I am yelling at him at the top of my voice.

I know that it is not going to get easier as he grows older, but I wish it was. In a way it is easier as in he asks for food when he is hungry, he eats by himself, he is halfway through potty training (which is a big relief) and he can keep himself occupied while I am working. So, I guess it is just a matter of time when he will be completely taking care of himself and making it easier for me but, is going to get increasingly difficult to discipline him.

According to my brother, mom’s and dad’s have special powers to deal with their kids. So, hope this special power will give us the ability to come up with new ideas and also energy to deal with his tantrums and his questions.

Bed Time

Why do kids have such a hard time falling asleep? They never seem to be in the mood to sleep. We are having this problem with my son. He does not trouble us in any way except when it comes to sleeping. He used to be very good in this too, but as he is getting older, his eagerness to sleep is diminishing. We struggle a lot with bed time now. Some days it takes and hour and he is still not asleep. I keep thinking may be he is not getting enough physical play time during the day and so he is not tired. But, if we let him stay awake, he gets excited and starts jumping around the house like crazy and eventually gets very cranky.

So, I started waking him up a little bit early in the morning and getting him to take an early afternoon nap. That helped a little bit. We are again off the track. Me and my husband take turns at bedtime. We read him his favorite books and then sit by him until he falls asleep.

In a month or so, the weather will get better and we can go outside and play in the evenings. The neighbors kids will be out and it will be nice. So, I am hoping all that play outsde will get him tired and eventually he will fall asleep soon. For now, I keep telling myself that this is just a phase.

Boys!!!

Today my son found ways to entertain himself. By that I mean, emptying out shelves that he cannot even reach, using the step stool to its maximum extent, breaking the door of our entertainment unit. There are two small shelves on either side of the entertainment unit which used to hold our DVD’s and video cassettes. When my son started pulling everything out, we emptied one shelf and let him put his stuff and we put a child lock on the other. Today, he was playing near his shelf and bent on the door and it suddenly broke. I did not even understand how that happened. That was not probably all his fault.

When I was making dinner, he was awfully quiet and it only means one thing…. he is up to some mischief. So, I went into his room to see that he has emptied a draw completely. I was amazed that he could reach that and empty it. I thought “wow he is getting taller”. Then I saw the step stool beneath the draw. I took all that stuff and temporarily put it on our breakfast bar. He cannot reach it. But, where there is a will there is a way – step stool to the rescue. He is up there right behind me with this step stool.

So, now I don’t understand where can I put the stuff to be out of his reach? Up on the top shelf? Then I would need around 50 of them. At times like these, I wonder how do people manage 4 kids??? I don’t think I can.