Good morning friends!
Hope y'all had a good Monday and start to the week! I was able to get a good nights sleep last night and Eva did as well which I am so thankful for. Little Miss has been fighting off a nasty cold/flu (no it wasn't Covid) she was all kinds of congested and her cough is just atrocious, but she is doing so much better and I just thank God for getting us through the hard part.
Unfortunately I have a little cough and tight chest now too, but I'm hoping it's just allergies because it's supposed to rain all week this week, that's usually when my allergies are the worst! Hopefully I'm not bgetting sick because being pregnant as well it is a lot and I can't really take much medicine-wise!
Anyway...I wanted to come in here for a little rant, maybe some friendly advice from momma's with toddlers because I am just lost and don't really know how to handle my three year old at this point. Evangeline is obviously my first child meaning she is my first toddler and the attitude, meltdowns and sass is just getting a little too much. Maybe it's my hormones talking, but I am at a crossroads!
This little girl is everything in my world and I know that this is just a phase that we're going to have to fight through together. I am just really stuck on how to handle the new attitude I'm getting from such a tiny little person.
Let me let you in on a little secret....Eva isn't like most three year olds who are already talking and are potty trained, she is a little behind on those types of things and I have been told multiple times to get her evaluated for autism. Why am I hesitating to get that done? Maybe because I'm scared of the result, not because I think anyone is any different for having autism, but because I don't know how to help my little girl grow or get a better understanding of things. She has been doing a lot better since starting school and her speech is improving tremendously due to speech therapy every 2-3 times a week, but her understanding and cognitive abilities are still something to be worked on and I have no idea how to go about doing that.
Aside from Eva possibly being on the spectrum for autism, she is also refusing to eat and sleep at night. I could be overreacting especially because she has been sick for the past 4 days and we all know our appetite kind of goes out the window when we don't feel good, but even before she got sick, It's like she's afraid she's going to miss something! She only eats the bad stuff like chips and candy and stays far away from vegetables and some fruits. Is my child just a picky eater? Or is it my fault for not continuing to give her the the food she needs in order to eat healthy? I have tried to take away the junk food and only give her some leeway over the weekends but then she doesn't eat during the week and when she does, it's a few bites here and there!
I am still learning and I am trying to find the happy medium, but man....I didn't think I would struggle this much!
I just want what's best for my sweet girl and I am open to any advice! Some parents tell me to use the softer approach and try to talk to her and explain when it comes to her being defiant, but then I feel like she doesn't understand what I am trying to say because her speech and understanding isn't where it should be, but then I also don't feel right yelling or spanking everytime she is defiant because then what is that teaching her as well?
I grew up on spanks and I am a firm believer that to a certain extent it is necessary, but all the time? Absolutely not!
It's just finding that happy medium that is hard and that is where I am struggling! It's so frustrating not knowing how to "parent" your child! But I am learning and I know that in the future I will look back and laugh at how much time I spent overthinking this whole thing.
Anyway friends! If you have any advice or words of wisdom, I would really appreciate it!
I hope you all have a Blessed Tuesday!
XXX
