Dd cries for whichever parent who isn't doing the telling off

[Afrovenator]

I do the majority of the disciplining, naughty step, time out, no you can't have a chocolate biscuit etc. before dinner type thing.

Dd 5 will cry for daddy when this happens. And Dd2.5 has just started doing the same. How do I deal with it? Because I'm not sure I'm handling it properly.

What does daddy do?

Haha I think they all do it, I tried to get DD (2.5) to pick up a water bottle she chucked away in temper this morning and she sobbed and screamed for daddy. Well daddy came down and told her to pick up the bottle, so that was that. Does your DH back you up when he's around?

Daddy has been known to comfort them. Which I feel undermines whatever parenting I'm trying to do. When they come to me which isn't often, I get them to explain what happened, ask where they doing as daddy asked, then we have a conversation about it when they've calmed down.

Kids are pretty smart. It's your dh that's too dumb to realize he's being played by a toddler. Train your dh. Your kids are entirely normal lol.

DS cries for DH when I tell him off. He cries for me when DH tells him off. Just the way it is!

Your dh is the problem not the kids.

Ah, yes. But the difference is that they get the same message from DH and me.

Agree, your dc are doing what all dc do, especially if your dh is comforting them! Your dh must back you up. My ds (4 and 2) do this sometimes. Dh will ask themm what they did to make mummy shout/use the naughty step and back me up. Same when they cry for me because dh has told them off.

I echo that DH is the problem. Here if they do that DH says 'Mummy is right, go listen to her.' Then they can go off grumbling together about their grossly unfair parents.

Daddy is a Disney dad...enough said!

These are the kind of things I say when they're screaming for him and he's not around. Makes me feel a bit rubbish tbh, like I'm not dealing with their behaviour properly.

'Daddy will not let you have that family sized selection box no matter how loud you scream.'

'I know you want daddy but he's at work' Then I distract.

My 3 year old does it too. "I want Daddy!" I'm normally say like you, "daddy's at work so you can't have him, but he wouldn't like you doing x just like mummy doesn't."

She does the opposite with dh as well, it must be some sort of ingrained toddler behaviour!

I'm glad to hear it's normal.

It's absolutely normal. But it will only pass if your DH doesn't undermine your discipline. You're going to have to talk to him and agree an approach.

Our DD will do this occasionally and sometimes come out with "I love daddy!" when I'm telling her off, which makes me feel horrible. But DH and I reinforce each others disciplining so she doesn't get very far with it.

Normal. Annoying little buggers though!