This month, I noticed that Little Edison is striving to take control of all his activities. When I call him to come in, he will runs away laughing and hoping that I will chase after him. When we want him to get dressed before we go out, he decides on which shirt and pants to wear for the outing. When we serve him with fruits cut into bite-size and a fork, he chooses to eat with his fingers. And the list goes on…
A big part of toddler development is to learn to be independent, I understand. But sometimes, independence also caused him to behave in inappropriate ways too. Here are a few examples:
Incident #1:
Little Edison asked for a bottle of Yakult. I told him not to drink because he still have minor cough. He refused to listen and he walked to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took a bottle of Yakult. Then, he opened the kitchen drawer and took a straw. He put the straw into the Yakult and started sipping happily. I looked at him in dismay. He is now tall enough to reach all handles and doors in our house.
Incident #2:
Last night, I told our helper to go to Shop N Save (opposite our block) to buy a loaf of bread. Little Edison wanted to tag along but I gave him a stern NO. He made a big fuss when I ignored him totally. The angry ME opened the door and asked him to go down himself. Much to my surprise, this little daredevil quickly put on his slippers, walked out of our house and right into the lift – ready to press the lift button to go down! I rushed out to hold him back. Otherwise, I strongly believe he will walk to Shop N Save all by himself.
My question now is – how should I handle this little daredevil who is so stubborn and refuse to listen? What approach should I use?
