We have been able to spend a lot of time outside and playing with friends lately. Last summer Riley was just a few months old so we spent the majority of our days inside. Las Vegas heat and sun intensity are not good for a baby neither is chlorine from the pool....so that pretty much eliminates any outdoor activities from May to Sept out here. This summer is a totally different story. We play with friends from different parts of the valley at least two days a week, sometimes three. The kids we play with are mostly Devins age, but most of them have a sibling Riley's age as well. Devin and Riley both really enjoy playing with other kids and they thankfully are well behaved the majority of the time. Hitting/Biting was never tolerated and thankfully they never really tried either one. I think it helps that we hang out with other parents that are like us and do not put up with any shit from their kids. We used to hang out with a little girl who was very possessive of her stuff and got spanked a lot so she in turn became sassy and intolerable. Thankfully we no longer socialize with her. I have to say, Riley Mae will swat at Devin if he takes her toy away from her. I laugh because she will actually yell at him and go after him if he runs away with it before I can catch him. Devin does share well wtih other kids (Riley he thinks he can rule) and knows he needs to take turns. I think he will really excel in preschool this fall.
Devin never really went through the terrible twos. He actually has fantastic manners for a kid his age. He says, please, thank you, no thank you and you're welcome usually without having to be reminded. He says excuse me when he toots or burps and is always willing to help do something. I thought I had it made. Then he turned three and all the sudden he has an attitude and is defiant. He is VERY sensitive when he gets yelled at. He is not yelled at often since I try to not raise my voice unless I am really mad since I think it loses its touch if you do it all the time. He will now do something wrong and I tell him to say sorry or to correct it and he hides his face. It is so sad but in a way I am glad he knows it is not ok to do that. If he is in a "mood" he will say, "NO!" if I tell him he needs to apologize for something.
Devin and Olivia getting ready to swim. They play very well together.
Most of the time what he did wrong is unintentional. For example, yesterday we were swimming with friends and he splashed another mom playfully. Not a big deal but adults do not usually enjoy getting splashed so I told him he needed to say sorry. No voices raised, no yelling-simply said Devin no splashing now say sorry for splashing her face. He refused to so I made him get out of the pool. He was embarressed and sad. I told him when he was ready to say sorry and play nicely he could come back in. I reminded him that it was not on purpose and it was not a big deal and was ok....just that he needed to say sorry for splashing another mom right in the face/sunglasses. He sat outside of the pool for about 5 min or so because he refused to apologize. He did eventually and was back to playing but he gets so sad and frustrated at times. I am sure this is normal...and I am hoping it does not last long.
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