Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Wild Child (A Flashback)

I was scrolling through some of my old Flickr photos this morning, and came across this one, titled "Wild Child," taken on January 6, 2008:


The caption I'd written below it was as follows:

Okay, so it seems like we woke up the other day with a 2 year old, rather than a 19 month old.  She's a willful (as we always knew she was), defiant (yikes!), temperental little girl now!  When she doesn't want to do something, she hits, bites and scratches to get her point across.  Of course, seconds later she's smiling and laughing again, so I have to remember not to take it personally.  Tell that to the bloody scratch marks on my face, though.  I know the behavior is totally typical of her age, if not a bit sooner than I'd expected it, and now's the time when we really need to teach her "no hitting (or scratching or biting, etc.)!"  The two massive molars she's got coming through certainly add to the heightened emotions she's got right now, though.

Thought this may help those of you who are going through the behavioral stuff with your little ones right now.  I read it with surprise, because it was just such a long, long, long time ago, and I can barely even remember her doing those things, especially not when I look into the sweet face of my 5 1/2 year old. 

Kids who struggle with communication have to express themselves in one way or another.  Thankfully, this stage of Samantha's life passed without any lasting physical or emotional scars (for any of us!).  With the inventions of tablet computers and smart phones, children with communication issues have yet another way of making themselves heard.  There are so many great possibilities out there these days!  I hope that everyone can navigate these difficult waters with more and more ease.

Here's another shot, taken in December 2007, showing the strength of Samantha's will and the force of her personalilty - a tough girl in a furry, pink Abby Cadabby jacket:

13 comments:

Anna said...

Thank you for the reassurance Becca. We laugh and joke about our little one being like a typical two or three year old. But when they are six, its a little hard to stomach. We are always striving and working hard. But this is a reminder that with our little G we have to look in the rear view mirror quite often. Weve come so far. I wrestle with staying at home, its easier. But deep in my heart/mind I know that wont help lil G learn coping skills. hugs.

JC said...

Great post!! Russell has been throwing fits lately that are driving me nuts!! When he gets mad he literally throws himself to the floor and lays there kicking his feet. It's cute now, but I sure don't want to deal with this when he is four or five! Thanks for sharing this :)

Lacey said...

I have hope!! Arina is such a stinker right now, and she does indeed have zero words. She does sign, but not enough. She is two, so I don't think its much different than the terrible two's. I'm sure when she gets older she will do much better!

Wren said...

I really needed to read this today! I keep wondering if Sutter is always going to be as wild and crazy as he is right now...by the end of each day I'm worn out from his wild, willful ways! Thank you for giving me a little bit of hope!!!

Rochelle said...

Great post! I think we all have a wild child every now and then no matter how sweet they are.

Education: Exploring Online Learning said...

Thank you! Point me back to this in about.... 10 months! And love the old pics!

alicia said...

great picture, and as you said hard to believe she was wild ;)

Rob Monroe said...

Funny to think about how "wild" that seemed when she was so young... :)

Meriah said...

Love the flashback pics!!!!!! LOVE!!!

Unknown said...

thank you as always!! I feel like you were talking about Maddie in this! we are so smack dab in the middle of this...Maddie knows what she wants and is so darn frustrated she cannot get across to us...with the help of PECS, signing, and the few words she has...we are seeing very small improvement...I am glad to hear someday we will have a conversation and maybe she will say mom! love the pix of Sammi! have a wonderful Christmas! smiles

Anna said...

you left a comment on my blog. Id love a pattern for gloves with fingers in them. I am an avid knitter and have made socks and adult gloves so I might be able to knit Lil G a pr or two and shorten the fingers if need be. If you could ask about the pattern used for Sammis Id appreciate it immensly.

Heather said...

Wild child ... I was one and I have one or two in the bunch and we all have seemed to level out. Well,maybe not me!! Miss Z is a feisty one and although she will never flaunt her feisty spirit in the ways Sammi or some of her other peers will, she does it in her own unique way and the truth be told, I like a wild child.

I feel like I am resurfacing a bit and I didn't forget about the little something I have for Sammi. I am going to get that out after the weekend. Be on the look out.

Melissa said...

Oh yes, we are right in the middle of this behavior, and have been for a few months already. Some days are better than others, but I'm glad to hear it won't last forever, and that I won't remember it forever either. :)