Help! My 18 month old grandson lives with me on a full time basis. He is much more defiant and curious than either of my two girls were. I am trying to raise him with love and gentleness, but he frustrates me to no end sometimes. I have tried redirecting him, I have tried time outs, I have tried removal of the object in question if possible, but I feel I am not getting anywhere. When I call him to me, he just ignores me. When I tell him No! He doesn't listen until I get up to take it away and then he throws it and runs. If he moves away from it and I sit down again, he goes right back to it. I am sure someone else has encountered this problem and I would like some suggestions. Please!! Thank you.:bang:

Does the mother of your grandson live with you also? If so then you need to be in agreement on how to handle the discipline. You might want to check out the Gentle Discipline threads for some ideas. Many of the ladies have posted some great ideas there. I'm the mother of 3 teen boys, all of whom have strong personalities;) .

No advice, just :hugz: , because my 21 month old DD is also acting much the same. Yesterday I had to leave WalMart because she was throwing such a fit-- screaming and throwing things out of the cart. She was usually very good about listening when we told her to do something, but the last few weeks we've noticed a change in her behavior-- we think the terrible twos are hitting a bit early. :eek: So, I haven't figured out just yet how to handle her, but in the meantime I'm just stocking up on Tylenol for me and praying for guidance! ;)

Thanks for all the input. In response to hcmlmom, no the mother does not live with us. She didn't feel she was ready to be a good mom. I really don't mind, I am just at the end of my rope as far as discipline goes, I am not the type to physically punish him, and I don't want him running rampant either.

My nephew is two, and he acted like this. I babysit him alot. What worked for him was reverse psychology. If I didn't want him to have something, I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, then I would get one of his toys and say "You can't have this, it's mine" and he would forget all about what he was doing, and try to get what he supposedly couldn't have. I hope that makes sense. Good luck!!!!:hug2:

When you do time-outs, do you use a timer so that he can actually see that he is having to wait? We have used a visual timer and it works so much better. They can actually see the time going down.

Also, I would give choices if he chooses not to listen. When it is time to do something. I would tell him, he can do it himself or I am going to help you. If I help you then you will not be able to .................. ( watch his favorite show, play with his favorite toy, have ice cream, etc. ) You will have to stick to your guns. Don't give in or he will continue with his behavior.

Good luck. I will be keeping you in my thoughts.