hitting and throwing

Ben is 18 months. not even two. this is a truth i have been needing to remind myself time and again. lately he has been hitting. there are many kinds of hits. there is the "hey how you doing wanna say hello" swat. there is the "get away from me and leave me alone" wack. then there is the "you didn't do anything at all i just felt like smacking you" hit. well, suffice to say, it has been a little disappointing to watch. will boo ever learn the control he needs to stop these impulses? He has also experienced a bit of defiant behavior in the classroom. He had been sitting to eat, now he tours the classroom with his snack in hand and does the ironing board stiff stance when you attempt to put him in his seat. He knows to put his work away but wants to leave it out and kicks and lifts his feet when you take him through the steps of putting it back. throwing work again, bothering other kids working quietly. yeah, it has been a bit disheartening to watch this all and see it as normal and not be upset.

well, tonight was winter wonderland at ben's school. families brought many of the kids in our school and there was a magician, food and fun. ben sees ella, his girlfriend and waddles over to hug her. as the magician performs, ben quietly goes from friend to friend, tapping jj on the shouldder and pulling him into a hug, tugging on joey's shirt and bear hugging him. diving into nickie and ella's lap for a threeway hug. then walking over to one boy he didn't even know and just stroking his hair as he sat on his mom's lap. he just patted his hair and leaned on the boy's back like they had been friends from birth. he emmanated love and affection. there was a sense that he was with family and his love for all those around was apparent.

i know the hitting will stop. there will be plenty of time to see the fruits of enforcing proper work habits and responsible behavior. for now, the best i can do is let ben be ben and appreciate him for the loving little guy he really is.