How to deal with a 3 year old
Posted on October 19, 2008 by Jamie Larsen, under The Larsens.
So Kaylene and I hit a rock today with our 3 year old Owen. Owen is probably one of the most stubborn kids that I know (hopefully he didn’t get that from me). However, he can also be the most sweetest kid that I know. Today in church, we had a primary program. A primary program is when all of the kids from the age 3 to 11 get up and sing songs and tell stories during sacrament meeting. This is the first year that Owen has had the opportunity to participate. We didn’t have the highest hopes that he would participate, but really wanted him to. His part in the program was to say “I am Owen Larsen and I am a child of God”.
So it came time for all the kids to go forward. He did a great job walking up to the front on his own and sitting down with his teacher. Luckily his age group went pretty early in the program. His teacher turned to him and said “Are you Owen?”. Owen said, “Yeah… I am Owen Larsen and I am a child of God.”
He did it!!! He really did it. We had been practicing that for weeks and he did a great job. We were so happy. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. During them singing and other peoples speaking parts, we heard this (not in a soft voice) “I want some fruit snacks” over and over again. Well, you could probably guess who it was… Yes, it was Owen.
Push came to shove and Kaylene finally ended up taking him out into the hallway the rest of the time. It did go on and on for sometime and seems to go this way a lot.
So I am writing to see if anyone has any thoughts, inspiring words, or just comments that might help us deal with our stubborn 3 year old a little better. I know that we need more patience, but sometimes it is just too much. And today, it was just too much.
Please let us know your thoughts. We would love to hear!
4 Replies to "How to deal with a 3 year old"
Kristin on November 12, 2008
Hi – great blog. So I had to laugh at this one, the best advice I can give, being such an expert with my 4 year olds, “And this too shall pass’ In the meantime enjoy the moments in a lighthearted way, write them down. If you can’t laugh at the time you should be able to in another year or so or ten…at the very least you’ll have some blackmail material that may be useful down he road.
Corry Reijnders on November 12, 2008
Dear Kaylene and Jamie,
Owen is a three year old boy.Let him be!
He will change in a for year old and so on.
With love. Corry
Margje Ruiter on November 26, 2008
wow, that sounds really familiar!!!! Our 3 year old can do the same things!!! The only way we can reason with her (sometimes!!) is to ask her if her intentions are to hurt us…. it never is her intention. And most of the time she’ll do what is asked of her after that, (not always…. she’s really stubborn too. and I’m afraid that’s a character flaw of the both of us… so where did she get it?)
Lizard on November 11, 2008
In church? Bribes and quiet activities work the best!! Yesterday, a darling little boy in front of us was positioning his pencil to stab his older brother in the eye at the onset of the prayer. I shook my finger at that kid and he put that pencil down FAST!
I remember one of my brothers accidently latching his tongue with a latch-hook and screaming during Sacrament meeting. He doesn’t do that sort of thing any longer.
Bottom line, kids will be kids and screaming for fruit snacks might seem inappropriate – so give him some melba toast and call it even.
Remember Cathy Jo waving smiley faces on tongue depressors towards the podium?