Babysat 2 year old grandson for 1 week now a monster (punishing, babies, parents)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hope someone can help. We cared for our 2 year old grandson for 1 week while his parents were on holidays. We have a very close relationship - see each other at least 3x/week. We stayed at his house and followed his schedule as per his Mom's instructions. The parents came home late Sat night and our pride and joy has turned into the devil child. His sleep schedule, eating schedule and playing with others has all turned into disasters. He is crying all the time, ready to have temper tantrums at the drop of a hat (which he did not do). All this is new to us as he has always been a very good kid. What can we do? Is it just "time" until he gets back to normal? His Mom and Dad are fit to be tied and we, as grandparents don't know what to do - go, stay??? HELP
He is punishing his parents for being away. He doesn't mean to, or even know he's doing it - but some part of him has just realised they 'left him' and he's finding a way of letting them know. He was happy without them, and happy with you - but now they're back he's a bit confused and angry at why they went away. He'll get over it!
It might not have ANYTHING to do with you or the parents.It might be just his new phase and it was just a coincidence that his parents left and you were there. Twos are the most UNPREDICTABLE beings!
You asked if it is just "time" to get him back to normal.. This might be NORMAL until he turns at least 3 or 4! LOL. You will get through this tough tough stage. We are dealing with the twos right now and I swear it is the MOST challenging thing I have ever done. Our older boys were never like this.
I did like what WOOF said... You can always take that advice and come back when your little guy is just a bit older and in control of his emotions.
I think this is a normal reaction for any child who has a change in routine. You followed his routine, but he didn't see his parents for a whole week. It's understandable that he'll be more excitable than usual upon their return. There is nothing else you need to do. He'll get over it.
Thank you to all for your responses. He seems to have settled down a bit and I expect it will take a full week to "recover". But I guess it's called the "terrible two's" for a reason. I now know why 52 year olds don't have babies. It's EXHAUSTING!! Good luck to all those grandmas and moms out there. It's the toughest and most rewarding job in the world...
We recently took our 3-year-old on 3-1/2 week vacation. Boy, did she make us pay for it!! That was way too long of a trip for her. It took her well over a week to settle down afterwards. Children that age often don't accept schedule changes of any sort very easily. But, they get over it. You'll get your usual grandson back soon enough. It was nice of you to have given them a break, by the way. My mom and MIL are great like that, too.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
