Frustration

I read some literature last night that suggested a calmer approach to dealing with the hitting. It suggests taking Troy out of the situation and into a private room away from everyone, and explaining to him that his actions are not okay. Then, it suggests to give him an alternative to express himself. It said to be consistent and do it immediately, because toddlers have a very short attention span.

So, this morning Troy hit me, and I immediately took him away to my wife’s office and told him that that was not okay. It hurt me, and I didn’t like it. I told him that he couldn’t do that anymore, and if he needed a way to express his frustration, then he could just tell me that he was unhappy. Later on at lunch, he hit my wife. I immediately took him into our bedroom, and I repeated what I’d said earlier.

When my wife took him to lay down for his nap, Troy said to her, “I hit you, mama.” “Yes, you did, and it hurt.” “Yeah, dada talked to me about it.” I guess I’m getting through to him already. It’s amazing how perceptive and understanding his brain is, even when he doesn’t seem to be paying attention.