Nearly three year old being very bossy and physically demanding

[rowenatheblackbird]

My nearly three year old has been bossy for a while but it’s starting to become quite stressful. She is constantly trying to drag me around - today for instance I was trying to have lunch and she was pulling at my arms as I was trying to eat so I couldn’t put food in my mouth and trying to drag me out of my seat. It’s really difficult because if I let go she’d fall back and could really hurt herself so I end up sort of stuck.

I really hope this phase ends soon as it’s stressful and not massively enjoyable.

What are you going to rectify her behaviour?

I can’t picture the set up and why she would fall.

It is kind of hard to explain but if you imagine you’re sat down and someone is trying to physically drag you out of your seat then if you were to try to pull away they’d fall backwards. I probably haven’t explained very clearly.

What am I doing to rectify her behaviour - I am trying to be firm and to tell her no, she doesn’t get to drag me around but she just will not take no for an answer and unfortunately it has ended in me getting really annoyed. Which makes her cry and I feel awful, but I am stumped with how to manage her any other way, it is as if once she gets this idea in her head any sort of reasoning or logic (I know, she is two but …) goes out of the window.

Unfortunately at this age, it's often just being relentlessly consistent in not allowing it and waiting for them to accept that it is always no and to have the impulse control not to do it.

If you have somewhere safe you can put her for a minute or two, that could help enforce the boundary before you get too annoyed. 'If you can't stop pulling at me, then you'll need to go play in the lounge for a minute whilst I finish my lunch' or whatever.