Originally Posted by
mom-in-alberta
Thanks everyone for your replies!! I really appreciate it. And wouldn't you know, this week has been going much better so far, hahahaha! :)
I will start by saying that I think that the problem lies in him receiving TOO MUCH attention at home, rather than not enough. His sister is 2 (just turned) and is fairly mild mannered, so he tends to be the domineering personality. His behaviour when his parents are here is vastly different than what I see during the day, and therefore I think he's rather adept at manipulating them. I already know that he wants his mom to stay home and not go to work, and that is for sure causing some of our issues. My pop-psychology diagnosis is that he is jealous of my daughter because she DOES get to stay home with her mommy all day, and that is exactly what he wants. He is definitely not used to the idea of not gettting what he wants.
Second, if I thought it was ultimately impacting my daughter in a negative fashion, I would not hesitate to change the situation. You are totally right, in that I chose this profession, not my kids. So far, I think it's irritating to her, but only in the moment. I have been reminding her what her expectations are, in hopes that her own behaviour will not change negatively. She still talks about this child as "her friend" though, so I think it bothers me more than her to be truthful!!
I believe I will try some new techniques, some of which unfortunately will require that the 2 of them are never out of my sight together. If it doesn't work, I suppose I will have to make a tough decision.
Thanks again!!
PS> This is EXACTLY why I have decided that ages 1 to 4 are my ideal!! :) I would rather be busy with their issues than *whine* "he said this.... she doesn't want to play what I want..." *whine* lol