My son is 32 months old and is intellectually very advanced for his age. He is also full of energy and gets bored very easily, thus being hard to entertain and sometimes getting easily frustrated.
I am a single parent who copes well and has a good social life and a generally happy child, and I’ve recently got into a new relationship.
Since my son was born, I have had about four other relationships (I left his biological father) but I must stress that I am very careful to get to know them before they know my son. My last relationship was a year long and my ex (C) and my son were fairly close, to the point that he was calling him Dad.
I ended it about two months ago and have started dating a new man (B). My son likes him, and things are progressing very well.
My concern, however, is that my son uses physical violence when he is overtired or particularly heat up about not getting his own way. My parents have experienced this but don’t particularly have a concern with it, I have, but he usually does it in jest to me, and did in the past to C, who just laughed it off.
However B has told me that he really doesn’t like it when my son hits him, I say it’s OK to tell him off but B doesn’t feel it’s his place to.
I am concerned because I don’t want this to ruin our relationship, and I also wonder whether it is normal or not or there could be something wrong. It means a lot to me that he makes a good impression on my boyfriend’s parents too, as he has only met them briefly and was very overtired and irritable that time – I want him to be able to redeem himself and for me not live in fear of him being aggressive.
Have I been too lenient on him? Could he even be confused or missing C? He has not mentioned him since we split, but I know kids are sensitive.
Please could you help me?
SJ
You may not like my answer however I am not here to tell you what you want to hear.
1st. You said you have had 4 other relationships and this child is only 32 months old? Isn’t this alot of change to expect a 2 and half year old to handle?
I have very strong opinion about introducing dates to children. The time to introduce them is when you are positive the relationship is going to end up in a long term commitment and by this I mean an initial commitment, not just we get along or we have dated for a year.
Even at an early age children experience anger. They just don’t have the vocabulary to express it. He has to be feeling losses as you go through date material. Please do stop introducing him to anyone until you have established the relationship and it has a commitment of engagement or moving in at the very least. Then when you do so, introduce him slowly, he needs more time to adjust than you do as he is a child with limited emotional vocabulary to express himself.
2nd. The hitting. It concerns me that your parents think nothing of him hitting. It concerns me that your prior relationship laughed at his behavior. Neither of these attitudes was helpful and indeed just served to reinforce his behavior. I don’t think something is wrong with him just in how this situation has been handled by the adults in his life.
He needs to know hitting/violence is not acceptable. Hopefully no one is hitting him which is how most children learn to hit, by example.
When he does hit then all interaction needs to stop. The adults need to tell him in no uncertain terms that hitting is not okay. Hands are not for hitting. There are numerous books for children that help them to express themselves in a positive manner. There are books that explain what behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable. “Hands are not for hitting, they are for throwing balls, feet are not for kicking others they are for running,” this type of thing is available in the children books section. I strongly encourage to seek this type of reading out and have discussions with him. Because he is so intelligent he will find this interesting and enjoy the discussions.
3rdly. Maybe slow down on the dating and just spend your quality time with him. Someone will come along who loves you both. In the meantime he is growing up faster than you realize. You can always date, you can’t get these precious years back again.
If you would like to discuss anything in person I can be reached at the contact information below for a private, confidential and anonymous conversation. I also have live recordings about children and relationship issues my homepage. Just click on the appropriate topic and listen.
Sincerely,
M Kay Keller
