"I love you, too!"

I just put Aidan down for a nap with the customary kiss and "I love you".  As he snuggled into his pillow with his new *little creatures he said, "I love you, too!"  It feels like I haven't heard him say that in ages.  We've had a rough go of it, lately.  Aidan has become more and more contrary.  He's always been a bit spoiled because he spent most of his life in a house full of adults who adored him.  Okay, okay, he's spoiled because the hubster and I haven't been as firm with him as we should have been.  There, I said it.  Anyway, he's become more and more contrary, like I said.  For awhile now he's been screaming bloody murder if he's upset by something and, let me tell you, I'm surprised the pitch he reaches doesn't shatter all of our glassware.  His new favorite phrase is "I can't!"  ("Aidan, stop hitting your sister!"  "I can't!", "Aidan, stop screaming!"  "I can't!", "Aidan, go get your toys." "I can't!", etc.)  The worst was last Sunday.  The nursery leader shows up in the Primary room with Aidan in her arms towards the end of church.  I assume he needs a diaper (because even though he's less then a month shy of being 3, he couldn't care less about potty training), but I'm wrong.  Boy am I wrong.  

"We can normally pick up on parenting tricks with most of the kids, but with Aidan, we don't know what to do," she tells me.  "He screams bloody murder or cries and cries, and it's upsetting the younger kids.  Do you guys have a trick?"

Color me ashamed.  I was in denial.  I had been clinging on to the hope that he was magically well behaved for everyone else because no one has said anything, but when I asked her if this was something new she said it wasn't.  It had been going on for awhile.  Awhile.  My kid's the troublemaker.  Ugh.  So, delusion shattered, we've been working on his behavior (and our parenting skills) this week.  It started out really great.  I was all pumped and motivated to set him right, but somehow the week has just deteriorated.  Yesterday was particularly awesome.  By 12:00 pm I had confined both of the kids to their beds for their 1:00 pm nap.  I ignored Aidan until he finally fell asleep an hour and a half later. 

It's been rough.  Most days I feel like Mean Mommy and just totally not enamored with him like I used to be.  I feel like I'm constantly scolding him, which only exacerbates the situation.  He probably feels like he's a horrible little boy.  I've been trying to change my tone with him and to show him some more love, so when he said "I love you, too" today without any prompting or expectation of it, it just warmed me a little.  Soon enough I'll look back on this time and think "Thank goodness that's over!"  But for now, I'll take the little tender mercies as they come.

*His new little creatures.  I have been feeling the crafty bug and since I'm not particularly so, I picked up these little kits at Michaels.  You pretty much just glue them together.  As you can see, I didn't do such a fabulous job.  Especially with the monkey.  His eyes are a little wonky and he's permanently looking over his left shoulder.  Well, one eye is, anyway.  But, he loves them and proclaims them his "new best friends", so what more can a girl ask for?