Girl Talk

What makes children the way they are? I am just baffled at the differences in our girls. Shelby, six, has always been pretty well mannered, never causes much reason for discipline – usually a talking to and an explanation was all it would take for her.

Now Alison, three, she is an entirely different story and has always been. We can talk until we are blue in the face, put her in time out and wear ourselves out going back and forth putting her back each and every time she would get up before her time is up. Putting her in her room does not work well unless you physically hold the door shut until she stops throwing her fit (which I personally hate). And there is spanking. I will admit I believe in spanking when it is necessary, but if you can discipline without it then that is better.

Seems whatever we do is a fight with Alison. We are not able to get through a meal without some kind of outburst from her. It can be anything from sissy sitting close, to Shelby got the plate she wanted, something was put on her plate that she does not like to her drink was put in the wrong cup.

She is always doing something to hurt Shelby like scratching her face, hitting her with a toy or pushing her out of a chair and now she has started pinching. This is something I have a hard time spanking for because it seems as if you are saying that is okay to hit.

I have wondered if what some have said about things you go through while you are pregnant affecting a child in this way are true. While I was pregnant with Alison I had to keep a child with ADHD a lot, and my dad was diagnosed with cancer and had to live with us for his last six months. In addition one of my older brothers stayed with us through my dad’s illness, and then a younger brother the last two to three weeks. Plus we had visitors every weekend for the last two to three months of dad’s life. Alison was four months old when dad died.

If anyone has any ideas or words of support they would like to share with me, they would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Discuss this post at LawCo. Talk