Can I have a kiss please Oli? SLAP. Cuddles Oli? SLAP. Mummy loves you , do you love Mummy? SLAP.
Is my child the only one that responds by a flick of the wrist instead of the intended action? He went through a phrase of kissing and wanting to show affection in a loving way but now he's exploring other ways to show affection towards us.
Is this something I should be nipping in the bud now whilst he is so young, how do I go about disciplining a baby on the verge of being a toddler. I do tell him no , and I let him see that he's upset me. I will pick him up and put him on the floor or walk away. But he will do it again. I know it needs to be nipped in the bud before he goes to nursery.
He's not a 'terror' child. He is a well behaved little boy, he will happily play with his toys and I do get attention from him even if its when he's tired and he just wants to rest his head on my lap. I suppose it's the fact he's so well behaved is why I'm shocked that he wants to slap/attack me with his toys most of the time. Can it be just normal boys play?
He cant speak so his only form of communication is his actions , how does he learn to use his hands to speak out? He doesn't watch violence in any form, we don't slap each other - not even in a joking kinda way. Are they born with this mechanism which makes them do these kinda things causing me to question myself as a Mother. Did I do something wrong?
Why do I always question it was me that did something wrong when I tell myself all the time that I'm doing the best that I can do. Being a parent is not easy and I'm 99% sure I am not alone with thinking that.
It's not like I've bought something faulty , I cant just take it back to the shop or in this case I cant just put Oli back in my belly and cook him for a bit longer in the hope that this need to slap out will disappear. I need to find a way to fix it. But how? My experiences of motherhood and what I've observed is that I need to be tougher - does this mean shouting at Oli which then leads to tears to get the point across that what he is doing is naughty?