I do not like this job

Leo is three years old.

At the start of the new year he moved from the two and a half class, at his daycare, to the three’s. He could have moved in October when he actually turned three but because he wasn’t toilet trained he was held back.

The problem Leo had was he wasn’t pooping in the toilet. He was holding it in because he was too busy playing with his cars and trucks to stop and tell someone that he needed to poop. So he would hold it until it became painful to push out. Let’s just say that the liquid stool softener became a very good friends of ours. Another issue that kept Leo from moving up to the three class was the fact that he wouldn’t say when he needed to pee. He would pee when his teacher took him to the toilet so he always came home with a dry pull up or underpants but he needed prompting, asking if he needed to use the bathroom.

So now Leo is in the three’s class and he is still having lots of accidents in his underwear as well as his jeans, socks and shoes on the odd occasions. His new teacher thinks he is doing fine. I am not entirely sure but she has had more experience with kids than I have so I’ll leave it for now.

Leo loves his new class. There are lots of boys in his class. Leo has become totally and utterly a boy since being in this class. This great shift in Leo’s behavior happened exactly two weeks ago. I really got to observe on the first weekend after he had spent his first week in his new class.

Saturday morning, two weeks ago, Leo woke up and was full of energy. He was loud, and ready for action. Ready to run through the whole house shouting, banging, racing his cars around. Did I mention how loud he is? He rarely woke up like this way. He used to whine, cry, call out for mommy or daddy. He is like this every morning now.

Now he wants to fight and will punch his daddy in the chest like he is boxing. If he thinks know one is looking he will push, pinch,hit his little sister. When he knows we are watching he will push, pinch, hit his little sister. He’s not listening to anything my husband or I say. He is testing us and to hell with the consequences. This is not the Leo I knew. This is the new Leo who has been playing with the big boys in his new class.

Leo was never a saint to begin but the changes are so dramatic. It’s quite astounding to watch.

I talked to his new teacher about it one evening when I went to pick him up. We talked while watching the kids in the class play. There were about five boys in the class and one girl. One of the boys from the group decided to go and play with the girl who was playing quietly on her own.
Leo had our backs to us and was playing with some cars. A minute into the boy and girl playing, just as I was telling Leo’s teacher about how aggressive he can be towards his sister, the boy hit the girl. It was perfectly timed and a great example of what is going on at our house these days.

Leo is livelier than ever, more energetic than ever and busier from the minute he wakes up until the moment he falls asleep.

Leo is still having issues with pooping and peeing and making me do more laundry than I’d like to do.

Maybe I should spend some time in Leo’s class with all the boys. I could do with some of that energy.