"I dont want"

My son definitely has a mind of his own now.

He's frequent phrases pointing to this conclusion are: "I dont want" and "little bit more". I'm glad that he is able to use his words to express his desires, even though it's simple words. I'm glad there's less whining.

He loves to watch animated movies like Disney's Pixar Cars, Nemo, Monsters Inc, with Cars being his all time favourite because of his love of cars. He'll insist on watching to the end. We have it on VCD, so we're still able to trick him by fast forwarding to the end of a disc.

If it's a show on Playhouse Disney, he'll ask for "little bit more", like he did last night when it was time to brush his teeth.

A mother of a same aged boy said that when asked to do some work (I didnt ask what type of work), her son would retort with "I dont want". She says that he too asks to watch TV often.

Last night threw a temper, refusing to be allowed to brush his teeth properly. He cried badly until he vomitted his entire dinner. It's been a long time since he cries so badly. Looking back, I think it was because it was way past his bedtime. Also, my helper did get to brush his teeth very briefly & he was let off, before I insisted that his teeth be brushed again, more thoroughly. So perhaps he thought it was unfair as he had already brushed his teeth, so why brush again.

I feel that at times, my helper is a bit too soft on him, giving in to his wants. I used to be like that too (very selective in choosing my battles with him) when he was younger (up to early this year) cos back then feeding him, ensuring he had sufficient nutrition & minimising the frequent vomitting were top priorities.

Now that he's better at eating & much less vomitting, it's time to set boundaries. It'll take a lot of patience, a lot of practice, consistenty & a firm approach (firm but not violent - I dont believe in spanking).