The Grumpies...

"I have grumpies all over my body, mommy." ~Isaac at 2-years-old

He was talking about goosebumps in that moment, and it gave us a good chuckle. But now, at 3-years-old, this young boy seems to be battling the real "grumpies" every day. He wakes up grumpy and goes to bed grumpy. And I feel like I've tried everything under the sun to ward off his bad moods. I will share some things that we've tried, and kindly ask for ideas of how YOU have dealt with this in your family! (Please tell me that I am not the only parent with a perpetually grumpy toddler!)

First let me paint a picture of what I mean by "grumpy." When Isaac wakes up from his nap, we open his door, and he SLAMS it right in our face. He'll whine that he doesn't want to wake up, so I'll gently guide him back to his bed. At this point, he is usually crying and saying, "NO! I want to go downstairs!" Okay...downstairs we'll go. I carry him down, with a scowl on his face. When he meets his sister in the living room, he bats his hand toward her, saying, "NO! I don't want YOU!" This is when I'll typically have him go sit down for some much needed time-out. He stomps on his way, still with an ugly scowl on his face. He will sometimes snap out of it in an instant. But most days, this grumpy behavior persists off and on throughout the day. There have even been times when he has said to me, "I'm going to be grumpy when we go there." So he has PLANNED to be grumpy in certain situations. I'm using the word grumpy, but honestly it's just plain rudeness...and it's UGLY...with a capital U! 

We've tried ignoring the behavior, and simply waiting until he is in a better mood to interact with him. This has been effective some of the time, and not so much the others. We've also disciplined or corrected the grumpy behavior, having him sit in time-out until he's ready to be kind and loving. I try to remember what triggers his grumpiness, and I know that when he's hungry, he can be EXTRA grumpy. So I try to make sure that his belly is full or give him a little snack the moment it starts up.

I've offered him rewards for choosing to be kind, rather than grumpy, but he usually forgets and the grumpies take over. I've tried acting silly, singing songs, dancing, and tickling...all in an effort to distract him from his grumpiness. I've also put him in front of the television, which works temporarily, but once the 25-minute show is over, the grumpiness is back in full-force. We've tried mocking his grumpy face, scowling back at him...followed by much laughter. And the biggest thing I do is continually PRAY for his little heart. This grumpiness can be SO draining. Sometimes I feel like a clown trying to cheer up an impossibly grumpy child. I am SO over it...but am also hopeful that he will not be this way forever. (God help me if he is!) And in the meantime, I will continue praying for him as I search for new ways to deal with these grumpies.

Here's a typical example of how he can be totally sweet one moment, then turn to a little Mr. Grumpy Butt...

(I should add that this video is not even CLOSE to as bad as it gets in regard to grumpiness. It's usually a full-on scowl, combined with his arms crossed across his chest...and being VERY rude...this was mild, but still a small example that I thought I'd share.)

Please share your thoughts, experiences, and things that have worked for battling this not-so-fun toddler behavior! I am up for trying new things!! :)