Hi,
I've posted previously about DS1's development and my worries. I'm pleased to report that he's doing really, really well now. In the last 6 weeks or so he's had a word explosion and is doing well and started putting short sentences together.
He has just started pre-school (had 3rd session today). In the last two or three weeks he has really started hitting. It's mainly me, he also hits his dad and DS2. So far I've only seen him hit out at one other child, more in a "get off me" kind of way, which I picked up on immediately.
I deal with it by getting down in his level and saying "no, don't hit". I tell him it's sore and not nice and he must not do it. Often he will quickly say "sorry mummy", but today he was laughing at me.
I think he hits in frustration if he can't do something. Obviously he can't express his feelings really eloquently and doesn't know how to tell me how he feels yet, so I get why he's probably doing it, I just don't know how to deal with it. He was laughing at me today. He was very tired and I know he's tired as he goes silly and tends to slap at me or his brother a bit. I took him for a nap and he's sound asleep.
To add to this he sometimes kicks me quite hard when I change his nappy. Due to lack of speech I delayed potty training. He's showing signs of wanting to use the potty and we're taking it very, very slowly. I know he hates nappy changes, but he can lash out so badly with his feet. He caught me full on into my breastbone yesterday and knocked the wind out of me. Again he says "sore - sorry mummy".
I talk to him openly about why you must not hit and kick, that it hurts, but I'm finding it a bit hard to handle at the moment.
Has anyone any ideas? Am I going terribly wrong? I looked at him today after he had slapped me in the face and felt awful, but that while I love him with all my heart, I was finding it hard to like him at that moment.
Any advice gratefully received. Thanks.