My son is at an exasperating age insomuch that he is testing limits at every possible opportunity but two in particular with independent abandon.
The first one is a determination to wear his PJs ALL day. I'm not sure that it's just because he likes to be comfy since he has sweats and other equally comfy pants that are just as abhorent to him as, gasp, jeans. It doesn't matter what we want to accomplish during the day, be it grocery shopping, not his favorite thing or going to OMSI or smoothies. Nothing is exciting enough to tempt him out of his PJs. I don't understand the obsession but it got so bad (I may have put myself in time out a few times to avoid slamming him into the floor) that we had to institute a new no-PJ policy. PJs are now only for bedtime. If he wants to stay in his PJs past breakfast he has to stay in his room until he is ready to comply.
The worst day, post rule, was Saturday. We were doing our morning cuddle time and Boy Howdy asked what we were doing that day. When given the option to choose our activity he opted for the Gilbert House. Fine fine. We can totally do that. But when it came time to get into "regular" clothes to leave he changed his mind and promptly and serenely took his punishment of going to his room for his confinement. Cheeks was ready to go, the rest of us were ready to go but Boy Howdy was adamant that he no longer wanted to go since it would mean not wearing his beloved PJs. I told him I was going to leave without him and we would probably go get a smoothie and muffin afterwards that he was going to miss out on, but he didn't care. My mother suggested making something fun since he loves to help cook so I offered up making blueberry muffins with his father but even that was not enough to get him dressed. I've never seen a more happy yet determined child.
So Cheeks and I left to have some mother-daughter time while Matthew was left to wonder if Boy Howdy would ever emerge from his room. It is reported that 45 minutes after the girl and I left, he finally emerged, in the next best thing to PJs he could find, ready to cook with Daddy. Since then changing clothes in the morning has slowly gotten easier. But he is still super duper excited to get back into PJs (preferrably short sleeves - boy is he excited for short-sleeved PJs) after dinner.
The second limit testing is preschool. This child was in love with preschool until December but then we had a two-week break and going back was anything but rosey. Again it didn't matter how much cajoling, manipulating, bribing, Boy Howdy didn't want to have anything to do with preschool. He'd cry that he didn't want to miss me, that preschool wasn't a nice place. It broke my heart, but the few times I was able to get him to stay he wouldn't want to leave when it was time so I was pretty sure preschool wasn't the problem. Once or twice in the last few weeks I have had to literally pry him away and leave him crying in the arms of his preschool teachers while taking my screaming Cheeks with me who desperately wanted to stay. It was all I could do to not take up drinking and swearing.
It's a phase right? Not wanting to go to preschool, obsessing over PJs? His childhood won't always be a battle right?
Finally, to make matters worse, Cheeks has started into the terrible twos in an awful way. Lame Lame Lame. Just breathe mama. Breathe.
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