Tammy, thank you so much for posting this and asking for help. I myself was and am a young mother of 5 children (I am 30) and had my youngest at 22 which I was not ready for. Being a SAHM of an 18 mo. old is a tough job and I too have no patience for it. Just a few suggestions:
1: when he starts acting up have you tried re-directing his attention to something more useful? Just like we do our Yorkies when they are chewing on something they aren't suppose to, give them a bully stick and send them on their way. You can do the same for your son, put him in his high chair and give him a coloring book and non-toxic crayons. This way he is out of harms way and you can watch him while doing other things.
2. Make time for one on one time with him. This was very hard for me because I too have no patience and no desire then to spend time ooing and ahhhing over my child. Set aside 2-3 30 min. breaks for just you and him. Sit and talk to him, hold him, read to him, sing to him, take a bath or a walk with him. This will give you two some bonding time and again he will be out of trouble because you will be right there.
3. Have you thought about a part time job? I am sure you don't want to put him in daycare, I didn't either but you need your sanity too to be a good mom. You need adult human contact not goo goo gah gah all day. Allowing you to have a life outside of your home is not only good for you but for your son and husband. I know this helped me tremendously when my daughter was younger. Although I worked just enough to pay for her daycare it was worth it because I got out of the house and had ME time on a daily basis.
I hope this helps, if even a little. Please know I am here and you can PM me anytime. I am no expert at raising children but I do have lots of experience as all 5 of my children are little (under the age of 9). I'd be happy to help, or just lend an ear for you to vent any time. |