Friday, May 1, 2009

Best Parent Award

I think I have found the answer to the age old question: Are girls or boys harder to raise? I would say at 1 1/2 years old that boys are way harder. Maybe I am not remembering correctly or have forgotten, but I don't remember my girls causing as much trouble at this age as Jaxon it. You think he would have figured out by now thadoes. My girls made messes and got into things, but they seemed to be much more cautious. Here's a few examples of Jaxon's recent attempts on his own life that would not make me a candidate for the best parent award:
If he gets really mad (usually when told not to do something), he will get on all fours and head-butt our stone tile floors. ON PURPOSE! We have to grab his head to keep him from doing it hurts to head-butt the tile. The floor wins every time.
On the playground I have to follow him like a hawk because not only has he tried to walk down the tallest slide there, but he frequently goes to the openings for ladders and monkey bars attempting to use them.
He is getting more creative in finding ways to get out of the house. We like to leave the front door open and just have the screen shut to let in breezes. He has figured out how to open it and has sneaked out. Also if the side gate is accidentally left open he bee-lines to the front, down the driveway and down the street. The other day we were so embarrassed when a neighbor that we didn't know brought him to our front door. She was very condecending to Jake and made us both feel very bad (as if we didn't feel bad enough already), she had found Jaxon walking down the sidewalk on his own. We thought he was in the backyard playing with his sisters. We had checked the side gates to make sure they were closed. They were closed, the front door was closed and we couldn't figure out how he got out. But only a few minutes after we had gotten him back he went to the screenless window in the dining room that was open a crack and hurled himself out!! I didn't even think he would be able to fit through there!
He has discovered the art of pushing dining chairs all over to reach things he wants to get to. The other day I caught him attempting to climb on top of the refridgerator! He had pulled a chair up to the counter and flipped over a pot on top of the counter and was on that trying to get up to the top. I gotta hand it to him though, he is pretty clever.
Though he can barely reach the doorknob, yesterday Jaxon managed to lock himself inside my bedroom. I felt so bad because he was in there crying for quite awhile while Jono and I tried many different attempts at lockpicking and getting through the open bathroom window. After all attempts failed I had to call a locksmith to come open the door for me. I am grateful that he came immediately. When we got in Jaxon had strung toilet paper all over my room, emptied the bathroom cabinets, there was water everywhere, and his eyes were poofy and red from crying. I felt so bad.
Anyways, fearing a call to CPS now from making my great parenting skills known, I have to say that boys are harder. We love our boy though and he is a lot of fun to watch at this age because he is always discovering new things. Though he doesn't talk hardly at all he seems to understand everything we say and is very good at communicating his needs with yes and no and grunts and pointing without having to cry much anymore. YAY for boys! I am hoping that my sister Katie will have a boy soon!

4 comments:

Whitnée said...

Be assured that you are not alone! :) That happened to my little brother all the time when he was that age. He even started our van and ran it into the dirt embankment when they re-did center street. :O Aren't boys just wonderful?

brianandruth said...

Oh Sarah Michael will be 1 1/2 the first of June. Kylie just turned 4 months. Michael is doing some of the same things Jaxon does. Little boys are so cute and so busy! Somehow Michael has figured out how to undo the safety latches on all the cabinet doors. Just when I think I have him trapped I found out he out thought me. I just hope Kylie will be a little easier or I am going to the looney bin for sure. :)

Anonymous said...

Jaxon locking himself in your room reminds me of the story when you locked yourself in the girls room and out of the house. Life is pretty great. -Hannah

Karen said...

Wow- he's quite the adventuresome boy! Hope you can keep up with him. I guess he's figured out that you're busy with the baby, so he has time to get into ( or out-of ) things.
So your neighbor really gave you a bad time?? What did you do about the window?