Life With A 3 Year Old

I've been enjoying having my nephew here, but at times I wonder my gosh how did I get anything done when mine were that little. It's Aunt Nikki can you play with me? Aunt Nikki can you help me? Aunt Nikki I want....; Aunt Nikki....

Actually it hasn't been all that bad, but it just made me realized how independent my own children have become over the years. Gone are the days of sitting in the bathroom with them while they take a bath, and gone are the days of.... It doesn't really matter if I list them all or not the point is own children are very independent now and having my nephew here has made me realize that.

School work over all is going okay. It's a bit of struggle to figure out the new routine of things with my nephew here but we are doing it. Some things I'm waiting for during nap time to do so that makes my kids a little on edge because they are so use to having most things done before lunch.  It's not bad, but it is an adjustment.

What's has been happening with you?

Moody Boys

Do prepubescent boys get moody? Do they have mood swings? And other issues? I've read enough to know that puberty for boys can start as early as 9. SS is 9, will be 10 in about 5 months. So it's totally POSSIBLE that I'm dealing with a prepubescent boy. Early physical signs of puberty in a boys has to do with the male genitals. Of course that being the case I have NO physical signs to go by. What I do have is a little boy that is awfully moody lately.

I want to clarify that he is NOT having tantrums, well in my opinion they aren't tantrums, but just I don't he just gets moody. The other day at the store I accidentally ran into him with the shopping cart. Nothing major, just accidentally ran over his heal. I'm sure if you have let your kids push the cart time to time you've had the same thing happen to you. I immediately apologized, told him I wasn't paying attention, and that I was sorry. Well he just cross his arms, made that angry face of his, and didn't talk to me for the rest of shopping trip and the car ride home.

Another example: Telling SS to get in the bath. He drops the toy he had, sticks out his bottom lip, hang his head, and moves very slowly to his room to get his clothing, then the bathroom, etc. He was doing what I asked, but clearly he is not "happy" about it.

He has ALWAYS been one that needs to know the game plan. If we are leaving the house he wants a list of where we are going. Lately, if the list is not the same as what I said, or if I decided to go to another store or somewhere else, I get from him "You didn't say this ..........." or "why do we have to go here too?". These questions are coupled with the pouty lips, cross arms, and the I'm not going to talk to you for a long period of time. Oh and the looks.... I get at these moments. They are more of a how dare you HURT me this way type looks.  Really I'm not hurting him by having him take a bath or stopping at this store, or leaving the house again for the second time today, etc. (That's another one too I deal with from BOTH kids. If they have to leave the house more then once a day it's a nightmare)

Okay, nightmare is a bit of over exaggeration but the way they both act at times (to leaving a second time) you would think I was asking them to chop of an arm or something major like that. Of course by the time we get where we are going are FINE. It's frustrating cause they are doing what they are suppose to be doing, but they just let me know they aren't HAPPY with it.

I don't have to yell at them or tell them more then once to do something. It's just seem, especially from my son, if its something that he doesn't want to do the attitude I get is how dare you hurt me this way by having me do ______. Or how dare you hurt me by accidentally by _________.

I think the topper came today. He wanted to do the funnix program and I said that was fine, but I needed to finish up what I was working on first. He wasn't happy about it, left to his room, and just shut the door. NOT slam it, just shut it. I finished what I was doing, printed off what I needed for the funnix program and went to his room...knocked on his door and when to open it, but I could NOT physically open his door. In the matter of 5-10 minutes it took me to finish up what I was doing, and print off the paper work I needed he had moved several heavy objects in front of his door, preventing me from opening it. I told him, (calmly I might add) to put everything away so we can do funnix.

I then left to turn on the kids computer and by the time the computer loaded he was standing in front of me. I asked him what the deal was. (why was all that stuff in front of his door).  He said that he did that because he felt that I thought what I was doing was more important then him. What?? How is telling him okay hold on let me finish this makes what I'm doing more important them him??  This again is just one of those moody moments that I've been dealing with. If it's not the way he thinks it should be it's an issue.  Okay I know this is long and more of a rant then anything, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm dealing with a prepubescent boy! I mean do they get moody like that? If so what can I do to help?

Why can't they tell the gender?

This is so very frustrating! I don't know if other parents have this issue or not, but I wanted to share. So in April and over last winter both kids were sporting longer hair-dos.

Here is Exhibit A:

This is DD and DS together back in April of this year (2009)

This is DS by himself back in April 2009.

Now that it is summer they both are sporting shorter hair dos.

Here is Exhibit B:

This is DD by herself, earlier this week.

This is DD and DS together. This picture was also taken earlier this week.

Now over the winter and even in April we were getting comments like oh what cute girls, or if out to eat what do the girls want. It didn't matter what DS was wearing he could be in a very "boy" outfit and because of his longer hair he was labeled as a girl.

Now that DD is sporting a shorter hair do she's being called a boy. Just tonight at the restaurant the hostess that sat us, took our drink orders, and asked us what do the boys want to drink! DH just looked at me in discuss. Our DD was wearing the same shirt short-sleeve stripe shirt that she's wearing in the picture above with a jean skirt with flowers and pink shoes. It doesn't matter she can be in a "girly outfit" and will still get labeled as a boy now that her hair is shorter.

It just frustrating! period! I just don't understand why there is gender confusion when it comes to my kids. Beside making my DS keeping his hair short and my DD keeping her hair long, I don't know what I can do to stop the gender confusion!

It doesn't matter what clothing they are wearing, people are just looking at the hair! UGH!