Fourteen Months
Jaeger has discovered his little will and sin nature. I wasn’t really thinking about it and forgot about the significance of the 13-15 month timeframe. Sometime in those months, and Jaeger is smack in the middle at 14 months, infants become toddlers and suddenly “find themselves.” When Hans hit the stage I didn’t learn until a few months into it that this was normal, and he was not a little terror. I had forgotten, but now Jaeger is reminding me just how much Hans has learned.
Jaeger has found his voice and yells for what he wants; yells when Hans comes close while he has a toy he wants to keep; yells when Hans has a toy he’d like; yells when he plays; yells when he discovers gravity or the force of a closing drawer. He’s frustrated because he can’t communicate. He’s curious because he’s growing and learning so much every day. He’s learning and testing boundaries and the meaning of “no” and “come here” and “look at Mommy.” He’s 14 months old.
Consider this a heads-up if you haven’t gotten there yet. It’s coming. Be prepared. Know what you will expect and how you will handle disobedience. Having done this with Hans, I can testify that drawing the lines as early as this is actually easier in the long run that trying to go back and teach what lines are and backpeddle to them at 24 or 30 months. A pinched face (for yelling) or a swatted diaper or thigh or hand (for disobeying simple commands like “don’t touch” or “come here.”) now will create in them a conscience. By no means does it prevent discipline issues during the 2′s, but it does keep them from being terrible.
So, we’re back into the game of establishing boundaries and rules and obedience. On the one hand, it is easier because we’ve done it before and the sayings and the reactions come without as much thought; on the other hand, the pressure is increased, because there is a watching three-year-old who is more observant than I and who is curious to know if Mommy will remain consistant or if the boundaries are about to become flexible.
