Dear Miss Faith,
On your advice I’ve been using imagery when my 2yo daughter says no, and for the most part it’s been very effective. But suddenly in the last week the no’s have increased dramatically. No to drying off, no to handing me a bucket, no to me changing the sheets, no to eating, no to me playing with her, no to brushing her teeth, no to washing hands, etc, etc. These are only most of the no’s since yesterday. I think imagery is fantastic but if you are using it too often does that mean we have a bigger problem? It’s exhausting to have to use it 3 times in15 minutes. I know it’s important to keep consistent boundaries and I believe I do but I’m sure all mothers think they do too.
Dear Mama,
Hang in there! If you’ve eliminated all of the usual suspects (she’s not getting sick, she’s not getting molars, Dad isn’t gone on a month-long trip, and you haven’t started remodeling the kitchen), then it may just be that she’s going through a healthy and necessary phase of individuation developmental growth spurt. Being two is hard! Her development is telling her to be separate from you, and yet her inner spirit still longs for connection. It’s no fun. Not for her, and not for you. But it doesn’t mean that you’re doing something wrong.
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