three babies
Lately Jordan has been silly about certain things. In the mornings when I ask her to get dressed she dawdles around forever without actually dressing herself. When I urge her to hurry up she asks for help.
Jordan has been dressing, undressing, and changing herself from outfit to outfit since she was eighteen months old. She doesn't need help.
The other morning I was trying to get the kids ready to take Jordan to nursery school. She was sitting in her room naked and playing with random toys. I had told her a few times already to get dressed because we were going to be late. She dawdled. She resisted. I told her that I was coming back in five minutes and if she wasn't getting dressed there would be trouble.
I came in a few minutes later and she was sitting on the floor, still naked, and crying. She said she needed help. She hadn't put on socks or underwear or anything.
"Jordan, you've been dressing yourself for a long long time. I know you don't need help. Do you want me to help you because I help your brothers?"
She nodded and started crying in earnest again. "I want help too. I miss being a baby!" she sobbed.
I knew that's what it was. I had been suspecting that she'd been getting a little jealous of the extra attention needed by the younger kids. Lately when I've asked her to help Tennyson with something or grab me Mitchell's slippers or do anything to do with assisting her brothers in some way she gets stubborn about it. It's not like I do it a lot. She is only four after all, but sometimes it's nice to have her help a little, because she is so capable.
The other day she told me that she has to do everything to help her brothers, and that I do nothing for them. She said that she had to help them all the time. Seriously.
I remember being the older sibling. I used to be cheesed too. Now I understand my parents. I also understand my daughter. And I know that the nice thing would be for me to help her with her socks, her underwear, her shirt, her pants, her shoes, her jacket. She doesn't even pick them up out of her drawer and try without being bullied. I know she wants a little extra attention, and I do try to give it to her. But there is this (huge) part of me that is excited that the kids can do a few little things for themselves. Tennyson has started trying to get dressed on his own too now. Usually he'll get his head stuck sideways in his shirt and needs a little help getting it the rest of the way on, but I know that many times he can do it. It's awesome! But now Jordan is backsliding. I know I should be really patient but sometimes it's so frustrating when I run around in the mornings trying to get everyone dressed and fed and cleaned up and out the door by 8:30 and she's suddenly refusing to do things for herself that she's been doing for years.
Patience, Patience, Patience.
I've thought of making a sticker chart or something to acknowledge all the things she does so that she realizes that they're important and not going unnoticed.
Any other ideas?
Jordan has been dressing, undressing, and changing herself from outfit to outfit since she was eighteen months old. She doesn't need help.
The other morning I was trying to get the kids ready to take Jordan to nursery school. She was sitting in her room naked and playing with random toys. I had told her a few times already to get dressed because we were going to be late. She dawdled. She resisted. I told her that I was coming back in five minutes and if she wasn't getting dressed there would be trouble.
I came in a few minutes later and she was sitting on the floor, still naked, and crying. She said she needed help. She hadn't put on socks or underwear or anything.
"Jordan, you've been dressing yourself for a long long time. I know you don't need help. Do you want me to help you because I help your brothers?"
She nodded and started crying in earnest again. "I want help too. I miss being a baby!" she sobbed.
I knew that's what it was. I had been suspecting that she'd been getting a little jealous of the extra attention needed by the younger kids. Lately when I've asked her to help Tennyson with something or grab me Mitchell's slippers or do anything to do with assisting her brothers in some way she gets stubborn about it. It's not like I do it a lot. She is only four after all, but sometimes it's nice to have her help a little, because she is so capable.
The other day she told me that she has to do everything to help her brothers, and that I do nothing for them. She said that she had to help them all the time. Seriously.
I remember being the older sibling. I used to be cheesed too. Now I understand my parents. I also understand my daughter. And I know that the nice thing would be for me to help her with her socks, her underwear, her shirt, her pants, her shoes, her jacket. She doesn't even pick them up out of her drawer and try without being bullied. I know she wants a little extra attention, and I do try to give it to her. But there is this (huge) part of me that is excited that the kids can do a few little things for themselves. Tennyson has started trying to get dressed on his own too now. Usually he'll get his head stuck sideways in his shirt and needs a little help getting it the rest of the way on, but I know that many times he can do it. It's awesome! But now Jordan is backsliding. I know I should be really patient but sometimes it's so frustrating when I run around in the mornings trying to get everyone dressed and fed and cleaned up and out the door by 8:30 and she's suddenly refusing to do things for herself that she's been doing for years.
Patience, Patience, Patience.
I've thought of making a sticker chart or something to acknowledge all the things she does so that she realizes that they're important and not going unnoticed.
Any other ideas?
Comments
Also? I don't want to deal with a kid who strips himself down!! I'm the mom who has a kid who never took off his own diaper because seriously, I would lose my mind if that ever happens. I don't deal well with stuff like that!!
Anyway, maybe try playing mommy/baby with her once a day, and tell her that if she acts like a big girl you guys can play that at bedtime each night provided she doesn't act like a baby during the day? Does she stay up later than the little ones? That can be your special time together and you can rock her and maybe even give her a sippy cup "bottle" while you do it.
It's all very normal, so don't worry, and she will grow out of it. Even without younger siblings, Jake regresses from time to time. Usually if there is a new baby in his life, but sometimes it's just that he is having a hard time coping with a growth spurt (especially those mental growth spurts. Ugh).
I've tried the babying him at night thing, and it really works. I got the idea out of one of the curriculums that we use at work. It really did work for us.
Plus, I secretly like holding him across my lap and rocking to him and singing to him and kissing the spot behind his ears 100 times and patting his butt while he falls asleep.
Good luck!