I have two toddlers aged 2 and 3.
My 3 year old is at a new level of obnoxious. Having spent the day...actually the last month.... generally sneering and snarling at me - either looking at me like I'm something she has stepped in or screaming at me over whatever is not to her satisfaction, I put her to bed at 7pm and she's been up running around twice. My main concern is she's so rowdy she'll wake her brother who needs his sleep. And she needs hers!
I get it. She's three. But for the last month I've been subjected to a battle over everything. They say 'pick your battles' but I'm not picking any of them! She on the other hand wants to fight with me all day long. Everything DH or I do or say is objected to. This morning he asked her to play in her bedroom briefly so he could get the ladder down and go up to the loft instead of playing in the hallway and she kicked off with him insisting on playing where SHE wanted to play etc etc. It's stuff like that. Tonight her chair wasn't in the 'right place' for dinner I.e. A couple of inches to the left, and she started complaining loudly. She never stops talking, and she has an infuriating habit of saying the same thing fifty times.
How do people do it? I've got a reward chart, we use time out for unacceptable behaviour (she hit the dog earlier, just sauntered over and smacked her - not hard but not gently either, she shoved her brother over earlier just for being nearby).
I sat on the sofa crying last night because I can't cope with the constant behaviour from her. I try my hardest to get it right, she attends nursery some mornings, she gets lots of love and attention from myself and DH, I read parenting books and am always trying to improve, but lately all she has done is give me a rough ride. She's very active and I struggle to keep her occupied as she just wants to tear around yelling the whole time at home even though I know she settles well in to tasks at nursery and is very good there.
Arghhhh!