At a Loss with My Abby

My lovelies are not perfect, and I'm confident I do a fairly good job of being honest about that. But in general I think most people find them pleasant to be around, and dare I say entertaining & enjoyable. Life with two preschoolers is never perfectly smooth, but for a very long time we've had calm waters. In fact, the last time I truly found myself in parental peril was during the month-long Rotavirus Epidemic of '08.

We have now taken a turn into rough, uncharted waters. It was bound to happen. After all, Abby is typically a gentle spirit, but in recent days that has changed and I am at a loss for words, in seek of expert wisdom.

She picks fights with her sister, uses nasty phrases to classmates, refuses to participate in gymnastics at the slightest of slights, plays with her spit, writes on the wall with her poop, stamps on the little table, cuts up the table runner, puts stickers on the floor, cries, yells, pinches, throws tantrums, and whines all in marathon feats.

So what to do? She lost privileges for the fecal art. I can't say she fully learned her lesson, though she has accepted the fact that the rest of us get dessert and she sits at the table and watches us eat it without complaint. What else can I do? I can't take away her birthday; January is too far away to wait that long.

I thought the problem might be jealousy over the amount of one-on-one time Lauren has been getting while Abby is at preschool. Geoff and I talked last night and decided Abby could benefit from some alone time with me this weekend. Abby was elated about the idea and has big plans of going to Speedway for Icees. Yet even with that on the horizon the behavior persists.

I know she is struggling with seasonal allergies right now, and after overcoming an untiring cough, she is back on her daily allergy medication treatments.

In recent weeks, she has been enjoying more and more time alone in her room. I respect that as part of her growing process and keep Lauren occupied with other activities elsewhere. Mrs. Hart has been telling her preschool class that they need to practice for kindergarten. Abby takes this seriously and talks about it often.

So I've been operating under the assumption that she is going through a phase of great change and expectation in her life. The truth is, her problem could be a combination of many of these conflicts.

But what to do about it?