Thomas has been full of mischief this week. He’s been decapitating my daffodils in the garden, throwing mud at his sister and then excelled himself by working out how to open the roller-shutter cupboard in the kitchen, emptying a bottle of oil from it all over the kitchen floor and himself and then walking through the house to find Daddy who was in the middle of a meeting. I honestly don’t remember the girls being quite so mischievous as he is!
I’m having to try and find a whole new repertoire of parenting techniques as the ones I used with the girls don’t work very well at all with him. He just laughs at me if I tell him off; he’s too little to grasp the concept of time-out and counting to three just results in him continuing the sequence of numbers! I’m currently trying not to react too much when he is a pickle and praise him when he is being good in the hope that positive encouragement will work!
He does have the most adorable little cheeky grin though which he uses to full effect! I know he doesn’t really mean to be a pickle – it’s just that things are interesting and he’s trying to learn, but my goodness, it is certainly a challenging stage to go through!
In the meantime though, if anyone has any tried-and-tested methods for parenting toddler boys please feel free to share!
What I’ve been grateful for this week:
- Day 57 – I am grateful for clothes pegs and craft sticks.
- Day 58 – I am grateful for time with my family. Thanks to Jessica visiting my dreams last night, I’ve spent time with all three of my children today and that makes me very happy.
- Day 59 – I am grateful for the new mud kitchen in our garden.
- Day 60 – I am grateful for spring flowers in the garden.
- Day 61 – I am grateful for the moments when this little boy isn’t getting into mischief!
- Day 62 – I am grateful for cosy reading dens.
- Day 63 – I am grateful for being able to transport my little Alice to Wonderland for World Book Day thanks to the magic of Photoshop!
Other things that have made me smile this week:
- A beautiful dream-visit from Jessica. In my dream, she was the age she would be now (9). She looked a little more grown-up and when she hugged me, I was struck by how much taller she was. Her head came to just under my chin. When Sophie hugged me later that day, I realised that Jessica in my dream was about a head taller than Sophie which would be about right. That hug with Jessica was so wonderfully vivid as was the way her face lit up when she giggled. It really made my day. I noticed later that day that my Fitbit hadn’t registered me as being asleep during that part of the night – apparently I was awake from 1.30am which was when Thomas woke me up by climbing into the bed. Jessica’s dream visit was after Thomas came in – how strange that the Fitbit didn’t pick up on my sleep at that point.
- Trying out some new recipes for dinner. My favourite this week was sticky salmon with Chinese greens – yummy!
- Sophie and Thomas in their outfits for World Book Day. I couldn’t resist creating a World Book Day photo with all three of my children in.
Oh I’m sorry, but your post has made me giggle. It reminds me of a post I made many years ago about my Little Man when he was a toddler. I had him after two little girls who had been so well behaved, but the Little Man was a nightmare in comparison. I guess you just have to ride it out because it does get better, honestly. I love your World Book Day Photos and I’m happy that Jessica came to visit you in a dream.
It’s good to be reassured that it does get better and glad to know I’m not alone in finding a boy a little more challenging than the girls were!
hehehe! Thomas being full of mischief did make me chuckle. He sounds so cheeky and like he’s keeping you on your toes. Good luck.
Fab photos! What a brilliant Alice in Wonderland Sophie was. x
Thank you Kim. He is certainly keeping me on my toes at the moment! 🙂
I have two girls followed by a boy and I completely remember saying similar. He was incredibly curious. He still tests boundaries. Fortunately with questions rather than breaking objects now. Full of imagination and wonder. Doesn’t help you now, but the destructive phase, as Anne says, will pass. Love the dressing up photo. Beautiful to have all three of your children in the same photo. #wotw
Thanks Cheryl. Reminding myself that this is a phase that will pass does help as does reminding myself that he is just curious and trying to learn about the world. I really enjoyed putting the photo together. It’s always very special to create a photo with all three of my children together.
Oops! Thomas’ exploits did make me smile though. It will pass.. honest! Maybe some sort of sticker chart? Ticks for good behaviour and crosses for not so good worked with Madam. Lovely world book day photo 🙂
A sticker chart is a good idea – I think he’s a little young just yet for it to work but it might be something that we can try.
No advice on boy toddlers I’m afraid. N was easily distracted by tractors from anything. Love the swirling Alice picture. So clever
Thank you Emma. Distraction is a good technique though – I should try it a bit more!
Boys certainly do keep you on your toes don’t they?! My two keep me on the go. Thomas is such a sweetie. He is growing up so fast!
I love your World Book Day photo. Three beautiful siblings altogether. xx
Thank you. I’ve ordered it to go on a canvas for my living room!
The last photo, Photoshopped, is so fun and very well made too. As for the flowers, well… it happens. :))
Thank you, I was pleased with how the photo turned out.
Ha! Welcome to the world of little boys!!! They are indeed full of mischief. Oh, those heart-melting grins they give you when they are naughty! 🙂
I am glad your precious Jessica paid you a visit in your dream. The World Book photo is beautiful!
Thanks Laurie. Thomas is a little pickle but his smile could melt an iceberg! It was so wonderful to dream of Jessica and being able to create a picture of all three of my children is so special.
Had to smile at Thomas’s antics!
Love the mud kitchen and spring flowers certainly brighten up the place!
Beautiful photo at the end of all three of them.
Thank you – he is a pickle but he does make me laugh. I’m really pleased with how the photo of the three of them turned out.
Good luck with Thomas, time out and all of that never worked with my son at all. Love that aeroplane, really great craft idea #365
I suspect it’s not going to work with Thomas either but positive reinforcement seems to be doing well so far. Sophie loved making the aeroplane.
Sounds like Thomas is very much like Harry! We used a combination of bribery, decision making and counting to 5. If I get to five he has something he loves taken away. Seems to work for us but they are all so different aren’t they. Love the world book day photos, especially of the three of them x
I’m not sure how well he grasps the concept of consequences at this stage but that’s an idea that might work later on. He’s been less mischievous this week thankfully so perhaps positive reinforcement is working well for us. I was pleased with how the photo of the three of them turned out.
I love that you create photos with all three of your children in them. The world book day photo of Alice in Wonderland is great too. Thomas sounds like he is at a very interesting stage at the moment! When Ethan was seven we went through a laughing at me stage and the step sitting and counting wasn’t understood either. It was an interesting time! I hope you can find a way to make things a little easier whilst he is full of mischief #WotW #365
Thank you, this week has been a little easier on the mischief front! I was really pleased with how the World Book Day photos came out and it’s lovely to have a photo with all three of the children together. It’s harder to do now that Sophie has overtaken Jessica age-wise.
The dream is lovely but the fitbit part is bit spooky. Love your photoshop skills and glad the dream and photos are giving you such comfort
Thank you. It was lovely to be able to create a photo of all three of my children.
Love the photoshopped pictures and your inclusion of Jessica in the last one. No advice on parenting boys, I think my daughter is the troublemaker! However I do think the youngest gets away with more… #project365
Thanks Laura. I suspect he does get away with a little more than his sisters might have done at times – that smile is quite effective when he uses it!
My boys were always more mischevious than the girls – I found mine were always better behaved when outside and engaged. The mud kitchen looks fab. Good luck!!
Getting outside always helps I think anyway – we all go a bit stir-crazy if we’re cooped up inside for too long.
He sounds like quite the lovable rogue at the moment. My boys can still be a handful at 12 and 13. So if you find something that works please tell me! Love the Alice in Wonderland photoshop work what a fab picture. Sticky salmon with Chinese greens sounds so tasty!
Lol, he is a pickle but very lovable with it 🙂
I am wonderfully glad you had that lovely dream with Jessica.
I bust out laughing reading your son’s antics hehe ..counting the sequence of numbers when u count until three.. hehe it was so funny..i know it is not really funny in real life hahaa when I am reading it now..
Thank you – the dream was so special. Thomas does make me laugh – when I’m not pulling my hair out over the mischief anyway!