Am I raising a son or a goat?!
Friday, February 12, 2010 at 01:37PM My son, Max, is 4 years old. VERY 4 years old.
4 comes with a set of challenges that, so far, makes it my least favorite age for both of my kids. (I'm sure it will drop to a close second once they hit teenage years.)
Most people complain about terrible 2s. Well, Max and Sarah both came through the terrible 2s fairly unscathed. It wasn't all that terrible. But the newfound independence with 4 seems to turn them into feisty, challenging, fresh, little punks. F'ing 4. I swear.
Luckily, I let my daughter live to see 5. She's now 7. I LOVE 7. 7 is SO much better than 4. They understand consequences more and have learned to pick their battles a little more judiciously. Therefore we don't battle over Every.Little.Thing.
So, my son is challenging on a good day. One thing that pushes me over the edge lately is his incessant need to EAT HIS CLOTHES. Yeah, you heard me right.
The kid (bad pun intended) will pull and chew on the strings on the inside of his shirt collars until the shirt is ruined. He seems to do it without even thinking.
It's driving me insane.
Usually I offer a bit of insight or advice with my posts. This time? Not so much.
I'm against putting toxic glue on the inside to hold his seams. In Aruba, I'm able to make him walk around sans shirt as a consequence. But we're due to head home soon and I can't exactly do that in New Hampshire. Well, without child services intervening, lol.
Thoughts? Advice?
Reader Comments (4)
Give him some gum!
Instead of Ferret Apple Bitters that may be poisonous to humans, try a hygienic chew necklace specific to the task:
Therapy Chew Toys
I understand you can't just let that pass unnoticed - but understand that "This, too, shall pass". If you don't make a big deal about it, just gentle reminders that "You're runining your clothes", he may grow out of it quicker.
Just accept that he's a goat and it will all seem perfectly normal.