She's started hitting. I know it's a pretty normal toddler thing so I'm not overly concerned, but it is kind of annoying that she only hits me! Not Nick, just me. And once her high chair, when it did...something to upset her.
Obviously hitting is not something I want to encourage, so I struggled to figure out what to do about it. I can tell by the gleam in her eye that she just wants a reaction- she hits me, then stands back and looks me in the eye, like "I dare you to say something, mommy!". So after some trial and error I figured the best thing to do is just say "No" and then get up and walk away (quite a feat at 35 weeks pregnant)- completely disengage, and teach her that no one wants to play with someone who hits. Then when we resume playing, she has to say she's sorry. But I don't make a big deal out of it because that's what she's looking for. Drama queen.
It was working pretty well. She didn't mind the first couple of times when I left, but after that I could barely make it out of the room without her chasing after me, hugging my legs and saying "Sorry". But now, it goes more like this.
Beth: [minding her own business, reading a book or singing a song]
Kate: [SLAP] Sorry.
Or take last night. I lay in bed with her for a few minutes at bedtime.
Beth: [laying quietly next to Kate]
Kate: [SLAP] Sorry.
Get the picture? So now she thinks as long as she says "Sorry", she can totally slap me all she wants. It's really hard not to laugh, actually. But I don't, because obviously that's not going to help!
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