Arghhh I need to vent!

Sorry about the following rant lol!

Ashleigh is driving me bonkers lately! She is get into everything, no matter how many times you tell her no. I have tried yelling (lots and lots of times lol) tried speaking calmly to her, time out, even a smack on the hand today but still she goes back and does it again. I think it may be partly boredom as we both have colds so can't really go visit anyone, and also an attention thing if I am trying to do something else. I can't do the dishes when she is around as she is constantly trying to pull knives etc from the cutlery basket or in the cupboards pulling all the glasses out.

I took her to the park before to get out of the house hoping it would help, but we got home and I went upstairs to open windows and when I got back down she had all the glasses out again    It is all quite minor things but add them all together and it makes for a very stressed yelling mummy

Anyone else found this around Ashleigh's age (20 months)? Currently I have plonked her down in front of a Hi 5 DVD with a bag of poppa jacks so I can have some time out

Oh and after my shower this morning I found she had climbed onto the back of the couch onto the kitchen bench, pulled everything off, found a pen and drawn all over the couch

Poor You! I hate those days! So tiring and full on. So hard to constantly be consistent. You sound like you are doing a great job.
Going for a drive in the car is always a good wee break for a few minutes when you really just can't bear to be in the house with mess acculumating every minute!
Have you got any of those cupboard lock things? We haven't but I am going to get one just for the glasses drawer as I am also sick of them getting pulled out.

I feel your pain...believe me!!! We don't call our one hurricane Maddie for nothing. She used to listen when we said "Stop!" All of a sudden she is now deaf to that word.

We're just persisting in taking her away from what she is doing and if she throws a tantrum as a result (very common! ) then she gets 1 minute of time out.

It will pass - and then be replaced by other stuff equally annoying! Hannah was a shocker at that age too, and she has improved heaps. I had always said that I wouldnt put kiddie locks on stuff and put everything out of reach cos I wanted Hanny to learn not to touch, but now i go by the mantra 'pick your battles' and found it much easier not having to say no all the time for small things like getting into cupboards.

Hugs mate, it really does suck sometimes...

Stop means nothing here either...other than run faster or add a giggle and a "no no" whilst continuing with the behaviour! LOL.

They WILL learn eventually. I guess we just have to be patient and have plenty of outlets for our frustrations.


Xx

Ah I sooo hear you on the dishes thing!  Ella loves our dishwasher and it's just not worth me trying to load or empty it when she's awake, basically I just can't.  Ugh, it's all very frustrating isn't it.  If it helps you feel better, Ella has completely selective hearing and 'no' 'don't' and 'stop' don't register here one bit! 

i hear ya on the selective hearing front!!   unfortunately, it's both my kids that suffer from it......jack prefers to just ignore me fullstop and charli only listens if i'm offering her food

hang in there kelly

Andie wrote: ...and her fave drawer is a big one filled to the top with electronic junk, lightbulbs and batteries.  I got so sick of her getting into it so many times a day (I mean come on, what baby licks batteries for fun, I ask?!? )  I duct-taped it up one day when I was in a foul mood.  God bless that duck tape - I haven't looked back since!!

Got a battery lover here too! Mmmm, yumm

I feel your pain Kelly, reading everyone else's replies is like reading "A Day in the Life of the Gremlins" - except multiplied by two if you can imagine it. The dishwasher thing - yep! The cupboards thing - yep! The licking batteries thing - yep! The selective hearing thing - yep! (in our house we call it Maori Glue Ear )

I wish I had some advice, but all I can say is more power to mummies of toddlers! I remember this being a bugger of an age with Maya too, so I have faith that it will pass - eventually!

I have to say that most days with my 20 month old DD are good days. Except just as I start to relax a little, we will have a real sh*tter of a day that knocks me completely on my arse! Today wasn't too bad BUT culminated in me catching DD almost literally dancing on top of her dresser drawers She'd managed to climb up there by standing on bed-end and then shoving off the basket full of her wipes and lotions etc. The only reason I knew she was up there in the first place was all of a sudden the radio was blasting almost full volume! The dresser has since been moved and the stereo now lives on the floor, but boy did I need a stiff drink after that one (was feeling so crap that I wasn't watching her more carefully, what if she had fallen!?).

With kitchen cupboards, we dedicated one to DD, and shoved all our die-hard tupperware and plastic stuff in there and 99% of the time she is allowed to open it and go hard - this has solved most of our kitchen battles. Plates and things are up high on shelves above our benches too, or we wouldn't have any left I'm sure!

At the end of the day I have to at least try and remind myself that it is part of her natural development to challenge me and push the boundaries of her little toddler world - and that I am learning a lot about myself in the process too!

Edited by Pearls