No parent like to hear that the apple of their eye is misbehaving. This is true with us as well. Number One Son has started to dare us more, push his mates and try all kinds of things, partly to annoy adults but partly to test different actions and bodily functions. Yesterday's surprise was a double test of spitting his nursery mates faces. Normally he has been kissing them, but he has been spitting a lot otherwise, too. He knows we do hate it and tell him off. Luckily, he was made to apologise and he did duly so.
A nurse friend has mentioned that boys get their first rush of testosterone around four, so this may be a sign of things to come. Number One Son's speech is finally coming along (in English) and he starts to be more argumentative in his special two-syllabic way. Food is often wrong, unwanted bits are thrown on the floor and trips to shops see crisps related meltdowns. Trying to get good manners to stick is probably the craft of the parents, so that your child will be socialised properly. Toddlers may find being naughty funny, but they do not realize that in the long term, their friends will find unpredictable crassness and tantrums wearing and the bad behaviour will have all kinds of social consequences.
One parent being away may reinforce bad behaviour or reintroduce behaviour you thought they were already passed. Number One Son suddenly started bed-wetting again for a couple of nights when I was away. Nevertheless, even if I feel sad about short-term setbacks, taken into consideration the continuous early mornings at home, it was so nice to sleep for a couple of nights! I am not the first parent who goes to conferences for a sleep, not for having a knees-up...
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