I can't read her mind

The last few days Genevieve has been getting very frustrated when she wants something and we don't read her mind instantly. For example, one of her favorite things to play with is the flashcard box. Lately, she wants to put the cards in there and dump them out all day long. She'll bring me a card and hold up the box. If I even pause for a second or stop to talk about the picture on the card she screams and shakes in frustration. Today, she wanted a block in the box, but that didn't fit and she got so upset! She was sitting on DHs lap with the driving toy and started doing her shaking, squealing thing. After he tried a few different things, he turned the toy sideways and she instantly stopped and started playing happily as if nothing happened. Same thing she's been doing with the card box. I don't know what to do.

Is she just getting frustrated because she can't tell us what she wants? She's not even trying to show us what she wants, so why is she getting so upset? DH says that maybe she's more intuitive than most people and she doesn't understand why we can't tell what she wants. That still doesn't help me with the mini-fits.

Is my girlie the only one doing this?

 

Ooooh, so you have an Emma too, huh? :hug99: I feel your frustration believe me. You described my daugther to a "t". It has taken a while to establish this, but, I started getting face to face with her and talking to her calmly in simple phrases "mommy wants to help", "you want it this way?", things like that. If it didn't work, I gave her a timeout to "calm down". When she was done, I would get face to face with her again and use those same phrases. After a while she caught on that I'm really trying to help and trying to understand what she wants.

Good luck, I know how hard it is. :hug99:

 

Both my girls have started to do this. Meara's been doing it for awhile, but this week Ana joined in. I think its because they understand, they want to talk, but they can't. We have these old plastic coffee containers my mom brought over and the girls love to put stuff in and take stuff out. They also love to put the tops on, but they aren't very good at it. If they can't do it they totally flip out. I get on the floor and work with them, but sometimes its over and they are just upset. I do what Michelle does and give them a time out to calm down (not a true time out- but I take away the object and either hold them on my lap or just sit by them while they scream and cry). Then when they calm down we try again while I talk them through it. This must be such a frustrating age. They understand so much, but they don't yet have the skills to communicate or to do what they want.

 

When they can't communicate with you - they get really frustrated very easily!!! :hug99: It will pass!!!

Use the opportunity to name things for her etc. (I'm sure you are!) and teach her how to point or something? I don't know....I do know that I LOVE WHEN THEY CAN TELL YOU what they want!!! :hug99:

 

My grandsons are a couple of months younger than your girls, and yes, one of them gets so darn frustrated and angry very easily, mostly at toys that don't roll the way he wants them to or blocks that don't fit into other toys on first try, etc. My DD and I were commenting just last week that perhaps it's the lack of being able to verbalize what he wants that's frustrating him? It's annoying as all get out, but DD is good at calmly talking to him and ignoring his fits ... he usually works it out on his own but the incessant whining and then throwing a fit gets old pretty fast! His brother is so laid back and doesn't seem to have the same short fuse, fortunately. I do hope that when they're able to verbalize what they want/need, this will get better (for DD's sake, lol!).