Okay, gals.... I am running lower on patience these days it seems. I have a question about the behaviour about a child in my care.
He is a little over 18 months old. I have been caring for him since he turned 1, so a while now. He was a p/t, now f/t. He has ALWAYS been a very busy boy. Pushing buttons, into areas he has been told repeatedly "no", making messes, etc. Not "naughty" or mischevious, just always so busy. He can be surrounded with toys and will instead choose to go over to the kitchen cupboards and dump out the contents, even though he knows he is not allowed to do it. His verbal skills are a little behind, but I know that at this age, they UNDERSTAND almost all of what you say, even if they are unable to communicate back.
Lately it seems as though his behaviour has been getting more and more contrary. If I ask him to come put his shoes on, he runs the other way. If I say, "time to come off the trampoline", he lays down and stares at me, so that I need to come in and get him (that's super fun at 9 mos pregnant!) and so on. I have never seen this kind of stuff in a child this young. I find that this behaviour usually starts a couple years later?
Mom is an awesome lady, very involved parent, and we have a great relationship. I think the challenge is just that she is sooooooo easy-going that she's not teaching him the importance of..... well, for lack of a better word, obedience!! Hearing them come up the steps to the house in the morning sounds like this: "Come on, buddy. Come on. Come on, buddy, let's go. No, put that down, please. Put it down. Put it down. Come on. Let's go, buddy. Put the (whatever) down, and let's go...... " and more.
So what the heck do I do, to instill "listening skills" as I usually call them, before I go totally nuts?? I have been praising his good behaviour, and when he does listen I give him a very positive reaction. "GOOD JOB, ______, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!" *big happy face*
Any other tips? I do understand that this is the age that they begin to push the boundaries and so on, but as I said, I have only dealt with it in this degree at an age when I was able to rationalize a little more with the child.