Okay, I'll 'fess up. Things have been downright ROTTEN the past week.
Little Guy has always had a hard time transitioning from activity to activity, but lately it's escalated to having a major meltdown nearly every time we switch to something new or different. We're talking at least a dozen tantrums a day - the screaming, flailing, arched back, incoherent kind.
And Mom is getting tired.
I've tried to isolate different triggers for Little Guy's decreased regulation. He was sick last week, but he's now feeling much better yet still behaving terribly. It could also be the disruption of schedule; I've had a harder time than usual coming up with a summer schedule. I finally buckled down over the weekend and came up with a schedule for the older kids and am in the process of creating one for Little Guy. His is taking much longer because I'm compiling pictures of the different daily activities we'll be doing. Little Guy is very visual; I'm hoping by describing what his day will be like through pictures, it will help him handle the transitions with fewer tantrums.
In the meantime, I've activated the troops:
"Sis" is great at reading Little Guy's cues, and is the best at calming him....next to Mom :)
"Middle Guy" likes to romp and rough house, and is great at helping Little Guy expend some of his extra energy.
Part of my middle children's new daily routine will be to spend time with their youngest sibling. Don't get me wrong - they already spend time with Little Guy, but I'm enlisting their help with some of his structured activities. This will give Little Guy a chance to build trust with other caregivers, and Mom a chance to have a little break.
In the meantime, I'm just praying that we can work through this behavior sooner rather than later!
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