He may look sweet and when he wants to be Gavin is one big sweetheart. However with Logan's discovery of crawling far too soon for his brother's liking, Gavin has emerged into the natural and expected possessive monster. Now normally I reserve this blog for light-hearted family adventures and smiles. No politics, debates, or family drama here. Personally I find comfort in my nightly journal for venting such thoughts.
But this kid? Well Gavin is giving me a speed training class in patience, motherhood, and patience. I consider myself pretty fortunate since he is almost 2.5 years and his aggressive, possessive nature (read normal toddler emotions) is just now emerging. From Logan's birth, Gavin has been loving and super sweet to his brother. And the interesting part of this phase is that Gavin is still not taking out his frustration on his brother. He is taking it out on other children. We go through days where my sweet, angel baby is back and then days where the fiery red-head inside him emerges. (Blame it on the genes, I will.)
I have read books, spoken to young mothers who just went through this phase, talked with grandmothers who had sons similar a generation ago, and poured over blogs in search for the perfect solution. Must be the Type A in me trying to solve my son's behavior with a quick fix band-aide. But today the Type B personality prevailed and squashed all notions of a quick fix. It is going to take time and I have come to grips with that. So what have I learned?
Kill him with love and kindness. Make firm family rules and firm family consequences if the rules are broken. Relax and realize Gavin is trying to figure it all out too. And most importantly, almost every behavior, habit, and reaction will be taught from our actions. I am around Gavin nearly every hour of the day and my son is watching me like a hawk. And finally, what works for Gavin will probably not work for Logan.
Gavin is one special little boy. He has a special light and energy in his eyes which I rarely see. Sure, I am his mother so just give me a moment here. Gavin does not know how to walk for he only runs. Gavin mind processes information about a thousand miles a minute. And when Gavin loves, he loves with all his heart. I miss him when he is sleeping and cannot wait until he goes to sleep. Yup, I am a mother of a toddler and I must be doing something right.
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