I should have anticipated it.
All the squeals of delight and jumping up and down about bunk beds somehow distracted me. It didn’t even dawn on me that maybe taking down the crib and putting up bunk beds, one of which would be assigned to this 3 1/2 year old to actually sleep in, would be really really hard on said 3 1/2 year old.
The last 2 days have been a challenge. Nearly every word out of her mouth has been a loud pitched scream. And most of those loud pitched screams have included the words, “No!” and “WHY!!!” (the latter of which is more of an exclamation than a question). When she’s not screaming, she’s hitting. I tell her to finish her dinner; she hits me. I tell her it’s time to go; she hits me. She walks into a room; she hits her brother who is sitting and playing wii before he even sees her coming. Her sister tries to give her a hug; she hits her.
You get the idea.
The behavior issues we have had over the last couple months have just become magnified about 10x in the last 2 days.
Just when I was throwing my hands up wondering why in the world this girl is freaking out and making me freak out at the same time, she it hit me.
Her room is totally different. Her crib, the only bed she’s known with us, the one she slept in from Day 1 in our family is gone. Some furniture is different as beds and nightstands all got shuffled around in the kids’ rooms. And, what is there is all in different places. She says she loves the bunk beds; and everyone has reinforced that kind of talk. But, the change, I think, has overwhelmed her even if she can’t put words to it.
I’ve got lots of opportunities to practice all we’re learning in our Empowered to Connect training.
I’ve given her words to use. I’ve given her “redos” so she can get another chance to make the right choice. And, I’ve given her consequences.
Don’t let these pictures fool you. Taking them here today was an act of obedience on my part.
Oh, I hear that! All of it. The room shuffling and re-doing around here has been stressful for Li’l E, too. Despite the fact that we basically duplicated her room arrangement and decor in the new space.
Never needed a night light before, anxiously checks in every.single.night now to be sure the pretty new one will be turned on. Hasn’t needed us to come back up in a long time, to re-tuck and reassure her of her security and safety before. Needs it pretty much every night now.
The pool has helped, zonking her out before she has a chance to think too much. But that’s only when it’s a nice, hot, sunny day.
I expect that the coming days of non-stop company and graduation festivities (why party one day when you can party with the extended family for five?! OY!) will both help and hurt the progress. Next week we are gonna have to hunker down and re-set the routines and lines of security for them ALL.
OH! And it took me a full week of the first phase of room transition to figure it out. Three days for part two. You’re ahead of my game for sure :)
Oh, wow. Yeah, I can totally see how it all threw her for a loop. You are so intuitive. Those days of challenging behavior are so tiring. Good for you for intentionally doing something constructive to combat them!
(She sure a cutie!!)
thanks for honestly sharing this journey seeing that we will be crossing a similiar bridge in a month or so when I work on getting Tahlia out of my room into the room with her sister! Debating on whether or not to keep her in crib with side down, or put her in trundle bed with sister or what???
All I know is I have NO idea how its going to pan out!!!
any tips!?
All this hitting and such sounds terribly familiar….now you have me wondering what is up w/ my almost 3 year old. Only she changed to a bed MONTHS ago. Guess I can’t blame that! :) PS – where did you take the kids – looks like fun!!