Acting Out Without Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad

This past weekend while Brian and I were on a golf trip Reagan stayed with her grandmother. Some times, I feel bad having them watch her for an extended period of time because Rey is a very active and energetic child and she is becoming her own little person. This translates into acting out when mom and dad aren’t around. Apparently she had a couple of meltdowns for no reason and I think it may just be because she missed us.

I am saddened but very excited about this because you always wonder when that stage comes when your child truly misses you. Yesterday we picked up Reagan and as soon as she saw us she freaked out and started balling as hard as she could. Grandpa pulled her out of her car seat and she immediately reached for me and hugged me very tight.

Tears were streaming down my back as she buried her head deep into my shoulder and sobbed. It took everything I had not to sit there and cry with her because I missed her too and I was so happy that she was showing me the emotion that she truly missed me.

After she calmed down and became more coherent in her words she was able to tell us that she had fun at grandma and grandpa’s house and she went swimming and played. Once we got home Brian was able to call his mom and get a play by play of the past couple of days they had watched her.

She didn’t sleep that well, waking up around 2 or 3am and not wanting to go back to sleep. She had an accident in the pool which never happens. She is really good about knowing that if she has to poop she runs to the bathroom to take care of business. Her meltdowns came out of nowhere and she didn’t do that great with her potty training either. We could tell that the grandparents were exhausted.

Last night as we settled back into our usual routine before bed Reagan was the precious little gem she always is. She was happy to be home and you could tell; a big smile on her face, giddy and running around, using dad as a toy box as she played endlessly until bedtime. I wonder if she is just getting to that stage where most of us adults get when we have had it with staying somewhere else and just want to be home in our own bed with our own things.

Does it really start this young? I think part of her acting out at grandma’s house had to do with she just wanted to be home with mom and dad. She slept through the night last night with no issues, hasn’t had an issue with her potty training and was a happy little clam as she went to daycare today.

For me it’s hard to hear that your child is acting out but I guess to accept that it’s because she misses the hell out of you is acceptable in my book.

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