Kenny is generally the happiest kid you will ever meet. He is good-natured and patient, persistant, funny, rascally and genuine. But the last week or so, he has had moments of Dr Jeckle and Mr Hyde that make my head want to spin around. It’s like he becomes possessed for an hour or two a day, and it’s nearly impossible to shake. Then, as soon as it begins, he’s done and back to his normal, cheery self.
Here is an example from today:
We got home from his gymnastics class and a few post-class errands at 11:15… I usually give him lunch at about 11, and since he started whining in the car , I let him eat a muffin on the way home. As the car pulled into the garage, his face got red and tears started to streak, “LUUNCH!” he wailed. I got him out of the car, leaving the groceries in the fridge up there (our garage is about 70 feet uphill from the house), and we walked down the sidewalk together in the 95 degree humidity to the house. At the front door, he lurched the other way, and screamed, “Play OUTSIDE!” and ran away from me into the yard. Now I was sweaty, hungry and really had to use the loo, so I scooped him up, calmly said, “no” and carried him inside, where he kicked and screamed on the floor and howled “OUTSIDE!” over and over again.
I ignored him and went in the kitchen to make lunch. He stopped briefly, then stomped over to the stereo and started crying loudly, “Music ON! OOOOONNNNN!” and hitting the stereo. I barely lifted an eyebrow and turned the stereo on by remote, and continued to make lunch. He wailed again, “Different SONG!” and started banging his arm on the coffee table.
Now let me pause for a minute, lest anyone chastise me for “ignoring” his outbursts. The same thing happened yesterday, and I took the opposite response, cuddling him and trying to understand how I could help him. He pushed me away and yelled, “No Mama, No!”
Anyway, lunch was ready, and I told him to go to his chair and we’d eat together. He started that way, then detoured to play trains. I picked him up and plunked him into his highchair, where he took one bite of the leftover spinach pizza and cried, “Pieces!” (meaning that he wanted me to cut it up for him, which I did.) As soon as he saw the bites of pizza on his tray, he screamed, “WHOLE THING!” (meaning that he wanted the piece intact). I picked him up, kissed him lightly on the forehead and said, “All done, lunch! Naptime!” and he was asleep in thirty seconds.
Ah, but sleepiness is only a part of it, because the same scenario repeated itself for a full two hours after him nap. Nothing made him happy; anything and everything I did made him wail. Then we left the house to go to the bookstore (I had to get out of there) and from the moment we got into the car until bedtime tonight, he was his normal, charming and sweet self.
What gives? Is this an early onset of the terrible twos? Some toddler form of puberty? Low blood-sugar? Ok, you moms of one and two-year-old boys out there….. HELP!