I really don’t want to make a big deal out of this because I’m fairly confident it’s just a stage, not a pleasant one, which my daughter is going through. In no way is she a bully. She doesn’t pull hair, smack, pinch or bite. For the most part she is a happy friendly pleasant little girl but lately she’s taken to pushing over smaller children, in the same manner as the penguins. On the weekend she did this to a friend’s little boy. Unfortunately, he went head first into a picnic bench. The mother was brilliant about it but I was horrified.
She is absolutely fine with children the same age or bigger but when it comes to the smaller ones they tend to end up on their bottoms. It’s very embarrassing, I tend to remove her from the situation, give her a time-out, apologize to the parents and I’ve also tried making a big fuss out of the ‘victim’. I now find myself getting a ‘bit’ anxious when she is in reaching distance and hover a bit more than normal. I’m normally quite a laid back parent.
Please tell me this is a stage and what can I do?
Just a phase to see what she can get away with, if she does it, just try and ignore it, but praise the good stuff she does, hard I know.
Not had this particular phase but daughter did do the biting thing (for a very short time) – I understand your concern! I actuallly had to leave a mother and toddler group after seeing mine climb up slide the wrong way, teeth bared towards the head of the next in turn going up the right way!!! Couldn't reach her in time so shouted Amy noooo! All the mums looked at me and most of the children cried! The shame… I never went back… Amy stopped the biting very quickly after! Sorry I have no magic remedy! Like you was a very laid back mum so I do sympathise! xx
Fingers crossed it passes quickly! :-)
Great to know I'm not alone.
I'm having a similar thing with my little boy who's 2 as well, but he tends to pull hair and hit in the face, or push in the chest to stop any child from having a go on anything he has in his possession. I find it hugely embarrassing as well. I had to remove him from a play area last weekend when he started to control a gate to a firemans pole and hit a girl the same size as him in the face…I did as you did and made a huge fuss of her and went straight upto the Mum and apologised. I gave him a time out (holding him on my lap as he went wild!) and then let him go for him to promptly grab a much bigger girls hair! OMG I nearly died…grabbed him and took him to the car until the others were ready to come home. The thing is he's not like it all the time. He is a loving boy and loves to play with his friends and his big sisters, BUT they do play rough with him and he has to fight to get alot of things around here, so I guess its just a built in reaction. Hopefully they'll grow out of it really soon. Jx
It's awful isn't it….I was wondering the same…daughter rough houses with the childminders son. May ask her to cull that a bit. I'm up for a bit of rough and tumble but not when kids are getting flattened.
My daughter pushes smaller kids out of her way, and takes toys off them and stuff and whilst it's a bit embarrassing I wonder if it's also because she's had it done to her by bigger kids and thinks it's just the way your treat smaller ones…
Very interesting……..makes me feel a bit better.
Loved that video-sorry for chuckling.
Loved that video-sorry for chuckling.
The penguins are so funny, but I guess it's not as funny if your daughter is doing it. I vaguely remember my daughter doing this (aged 4) in her ballet class. Not actually pushing kids over but definately pushing them out of the limelight. She did grow out of it!
The penguins are so funny, but I guess it's not as funny if your daughter is doing it. I vaguely remember my daughter doing this (aged 4) in her ballet class. Not actually pushing kids over but definately pushing them out of the limelight. She did grow out of it!