After all, I have a degree in Sociology and tried to "explain" to my mom that I believe it's nurture, not nature. Our sons act wild and crazy because we treat them differently and have different expectations.
So, when my son was born I brought him to all of our tea parties. The girls and I love throwing both make believe and real tea parties. My little boy has learned how to place his napkin on his lap and blow the pretend steam off the tea, but his favorite part is when he burps loudly to interrupt all the politeness! Apparently, mom really does know best! My two-year-old is a wild child!
My poor son has spent half of his life sitting in time out. He charges at the girls and tackles us all the time. We look and shake our heads at the frustrated little guy. Finally, I took a page from my husband's book. The other day I got on my knees and wrestled with my little guy. When he charged, I ducked, held him upside down and brought him on the floor tickling him. It seemed like cruel and unusual punishment - completely uncivilized - and he loved it! Finally, I learned to play the games he likes! He climbs on my back to ride horsey and I throw him off! I'm frankly scared to death, but he's in heaven.
Is it possible that playing rough with my son will teach him to be more aggressive? I was reading an interesting article from Raising Children Network which said that you need to watch the kids' behavior while they're playing. If they're smiling and laughing while they're wrestling, they're likely not playing too rough. Another key point is to see how they act when they're done rolling around the ground. If they get up and play nicely, you can see the kids are just playing and treating it as a game.
So, I guess I better put the tea cups aside for now and brush up on my contact sports!
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