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Bossy boots
My three-year-old daughter answers back and is bossy. I have talked to her repeatedly, explaining what answering back is but she continues to do it and act as if she is in charge. What can I do to get her to behave?
It sounds as if your daughter has worked out how to press your buttons and perhaps she is a child who likes to have the last word. She can only be in charge or ‘bossy’, if you let her and feel this is a confrontation that you must win and she must lose.
Unless what she is saying to you is actually rude, you could try ignoring her answering back. Give her a beady look if you wish, but don’t rise to the wind-up. You are the grown-up here; do what you would probably advise your daughter to do, if she complained that another child bossed her around.
Apart from answering you back, does she do what you ask? If your daughter is fairly co-operative, but just wants to feel verbally on top, then matters might improve if you resist rising to the challenge. If she is actually rude to you, then do make the point, ‘I don’t call you a….. That’s rude and hurtful and I don’t like you saying it to me.’
Why not chat to other iVillagers about toddlers on the The Things Kids Say message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions happening now on the board:
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