Tadpoles turn into frogs...

So much has been happening with Froggy lately!

To be honest, she's been acting awful most days, which is partly why I haven't posted--I simply haven't had the mental energy to devote to writing. The flip side is that a lot of her behavior I think is her acting out in frustration and mimicking behavior she sees out of a Particular Child at school. She shouldn't act this way but part of me can't really blame her--I think I'd do it too.

This past week she went all Jerry Springer on her classroom. She threw chairs and books and toys. I have no clue what she's thinking, but I think I know part of what's triggering all of this. Keep Particular Child in mind for in just a minute.

At home Froggy has been screaming when she doesn't get her way, hitting herself and, tonight at least, hitting me out of anger. We're talking full-out, bottom-of-her-lungs SCREAMING. This is completely out of character for her, or at least it used to be until a couple months ago. She used to holler and yell and scream, but this is different somehow. And she sounds like...you got it, a Particular Child in her classroom.

This Particular Child used to be a relatively good kid in class. Then, he started whining a lot. Then, he started throwing bad tantrums. Now, he outright SCREAMS when he doesn't get what he wants, or, you know, if the sun shines or if the grass grows. He's also beginning to get violent.

Thanks to talking to Froggy's teacher I think I've figured out part of what makes her act badly in class. Mind you, it's not an excuse--she knows better, and she knows there's consequences, and once Teacher threatens to call Mommy Froggy straightens right up. It would seem that a majority of her in-class meltdowns happen after Particular Child has one of his screaming fits. I've concluded that she gets overstimulated by the noise (like many of the other kids in her class) and then when asked to do something she doesn't want to, which she normally doesn't like but will tolerate without screaming, she just freaks out. Combined with seeing him acting that way and the tendency of kids to pick up the bad habits of the other kids they're around, she's turned into a bratty little thing.

Which brings us to Friday. My daughter got punched in the stomach by a Particular Child. He was throwing one of his tantrums and, due to circumstances I'm not entirely clear on, punched Froggy. She didn't hit him back (she seems to have a naturally instilled Two-Hit rule--you get one free offense but after the second one, she's hitting back), and I'm glad--he's half her size, a year younger, and even if she acted in self-defense it would have made it a lot harder for me to say something about the situation. Fortunately she wasn't really hurt, but it makes a lot of stuff make sense.

For starters, she started hitting me this weekend. I'm not a happy camper about this, since I know where she's getting it from. Then, it explains why she's been telling me she's afraid of school. She'll say things like school doesn't miss her, and bad things are going to happen, and lots of other stuff trying to convince us to let her stay home. Yes, she's saying all of this and she's FOUR YEARS OLD! She's FOUR, and she's afraid of a bully! And of course I know where that awful scream is coming from and why, at least part of the time, she's acting out in class.

Now, I just have to figure out what to do about all of this. Any suggestions?

But, now for some good news: All at once, Froggy decided she wanted to start sleeping in Big Girl Panties--and she hasn't wet the bed at all! I'm so proud. My baby is growing up and this development came completely unexpectedly. She just announced a few nights ago that she wanted to sleep in panties and she hasn't looked back.

We also have a new IEP for the coming year and I think it will help a lot with repairing some of the behaviors she's picked up from a Particular Child. It'll also help with readiness for kindergarten.

What's going on with your babies lately? Any big developments? Happy Mother's Day to all of you great moms out there. :)