Mom to Mom

[ccassaday]

Um my niece can also be taken places and is very good. And even though she is going through this phase she knows who is the boss.

[Q4u]

I agree that when a two or three year old does these kinds of things it is absolutely adorable, very cute and hard not to laugh. The unfortunate thing (and the thing that is the hardest to do) is to correct that behavior at that age. It really is... but without that continual correction, and adults laughing and encouraging the appropriate things... the child ends up at 5, 6 and 7, thinking that the old behavior is cute and adorable and doesn't understand why the adults are suddenly mad at her and telling her no when she is just doing what she's always done. THEN... you have trouble which is exceedingly hard to correct and unfortunately I'm seeing so many children out there that need their parents' help.

My DH's little niece just turned five. Last time I saw her she was three. The parents at that time (I noticed) did little to correct her. They don't believe in it. Well... at five (and at my house for a family reunion in July) she was a holy terror. I mean Dennis the Menace terror. She teased the dog, pinching when she thought no one was looking (and my gentle dog has never BIT ANYONE) and my little dog bit her!!! She pushed her little baby brother over when she thought no one was looking. She ate the dog food and there was so much more to this very long day.

The thing is.... children are to be nourished and loved, especially loved. Part of that love is to give them the tools to good behavior. The worst thing in the world... and I mean one of the very worst things is to have a child that NO ONE (other than her family) wants around...... and it is NOT their fault.

/Soapbox

[ccassaday]

That is a little terror. My niece is not like that. My mom says she is a boring child. Ha ha. Like I said above she doesn't get away with things nor do we laugh at her. But when she isn't around we do laugh about this little clothes phase she is going through. I don't think her older brother wet through this kind of phase. For her third birthday she had a frozen party and she was so excited to wear her frozen dress. But when the day came she did not want to wear her Elsa dress. My sister got her to wear it a little bit so everyone could see her in it. When you have a girl you can't wait to buy all the cute dresses and for now she just is going through the phase where she hates them. Normally this age they like them but now she don't. She even asked her mom one time when she was going to be a boy lol.

[Alsee]

My little girl was always allowed to choose her own clothes . The only rules are they have to be clean and acceptable for school. If she dressed "weird " or silly, it was her choice and she was stuck with it. Now at age 9 she makes pretty good choices most of the time. She even asks my opinion - once in a while! Sometimes her 10 year old brother will tell her to change.

[sparklestar]

ccassaday, it sounds like you and your mom are having much fun with your niece. I'm sure things are not as drastic as the others are making it sound. She sounds like a girl that knows what she likes ... nothing wrong with that. And it seems like the adults have all under control. Enjoy her.

[chrystaltree]

On 9/16/2014 colliemom3 said:

On 9/16/2014 ckr1147 said:

Oh lighten up people....let the kid wear what she wants until it rots off her back...some kids get on a kick about clothes or certain foods...they get over it...it's not a huge deal...save your energy for important issues.

So true and I agree!

I totally agree! I have two daughters and I do miss those days! At that age, they do indeed have their own sense of style. At three, they are also exerting their new found independance. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's exasperating. I just found it easier to let them whatever they wanted to wear unless there was some compelling reason for them to wear what I wanted them to wear. And there never was......

[Autumn in NY]

On 9/24/2014 RATE said:

People need to quit being so nasty in these posts. I do not see what was so bad about what the poster said that she had to be attacked like that.

I agree and I don't understand such aggression and hostility.