I can already feel that this is going to be more of a desperate rant than anything else, so I apologize in advance if the following is less than coherent. TL;DR: My 2yo son has a Chernobyl-grade melt down if he sees me doing ANYTHING other than sit on the couch and watch him - including, but far from limited to, standing, looking at my phone or the TV, eating, cleaning, curling into a ball and drowning in my own tears, etc. It has gotten worse after moving into a new home last month, as he has now stopped napping/sleeping/staying asleep, which used to be my only source of solace and productivity. Dishes are piling up and I am very concerned for my sanity. He just fell asleep in the dog's crate, and I feel like a prisoner desperately trying to send out an SOS before he wakes up...I'm a mother of three boys (8y, 8y, and 2yo). My two oldest have always been really laid back, extremely affectionate, and "mama's boys" in their own right, but it has never been a great task to distract them with any given activity and for them to entertain themselves independently when I needed to get something done. Even if they were up my butt, they were always at least interested in what I was doing and would just want to help or be near me. Parenting was never "easy," but until #3 came along I had NO idea how much easier they had made it for me.So, my 2yo is also a super happy, loving little dude. He's almost always in a hype mood, and is the absolute most energetic child I have ever met in my entire life (though I suppose we cursed ourselves by naming him Wilde). He is in a constant state of seeking new, borderline suicidal stimulation - which, in-and-of-itself, makes it difficult to ever comfortably keep my eye off him. Interestingly enough, he's not super affectionate in that he doesn't like anyone touching him most of the time (exception being to climb or bounce on someone's head). He even prefers to play and explore independently or with his big brothers - with one caveat: If he notices that I am doing literally anything but sitting and staring at him, he will FLIP TF OUT.I will spend hours upon hours trying to find something to hold his interest long enough for me to just go to the bathroom. I can't even use my phone or fold laundry while I'm sitting in my couch-prison. Mealtime is torture because I have to do it all through his awful, bloodcurdling screams (like, how does he not understand that I am really not allowed to just let him starve and die??). When the sun finally sets and he is finally asleep, I look around and realize that I spent the entire day doing nothing but trying to keep this kid distracted and uninjured - but I no longer have the mental, emotional, or physical energy to do anything I had been longing to do all day. I hardly have the energy to sob into my wine glass, but fortunately I am able to manage that well enough.When my SO is here, its definitely a gazillion times easier. Playing with daddy is the only thing that can keep him occupied for extended bursts of time. However, my husband works nights for now, so for most of the week he is working or sleeping (which pretty much eliminates "just letting the Wilde thing scream it out" as an option). We're really focused on transitioning to our woodworking business full time, so even on his days off he's usually out for a while doing a side job. I consider myself lucky if he's here and awake for a full 24-hours. (Though, I think if he tells me "He just wants some attention, babe" one more time I'm going to go full Cell Block Tango on his ass...)Up until about a month ago, Wilde was *at least* unbelievably great about taking naps and putting himself to bed. Noon or 7pm would roll around, and he would grab his blanket, yell "bed!", and wait for me to help him into his crib where he would turn and simply KO. He would wake up anywhere from 7-9am. It was awesome. At least then, I had a few hours in the afternoon or at night to get some stuff done or just take a damn breath. After moving into our new home, however, putting him to bed is a nightmare and I have no idea why. I know its a new, unfamiliar place - but he's never had a problem at other people's houses or in hotels or even when camping. From day one in this place, though, he's been waking up at 6am, despite not having gone down until 10 or 11pm, and naptime is a gamble every day. He either refuses to nap and then is a cranky asshole all evening or, if I'm lucky, he'll fall asleep on the couch. He wants nothing to do with his crib anymore, and I have regrettably been obliging (even at night) because I honestly can not deal with the screaming anymore. At this point, I am simply freaking exhausted and I don't even have anything to show for it.These kids have their own playroom full of books and toys and games, an art room, a nice backyard with swings and that plastic roller coaster thing and a Powerwheels Jeep and climbing trees, a dog who wants nothing but to play with them all day long, their own tablets and a TV... I have tried everything over the last year - from indulging him to ignoring him and everything in between. Day care would be nice, but we can't justify the expense quite yet. He is never like this with anyone but me, even when his dad watches him alone. I have never needed a solution to anything more desperately than I do now. I have never wanted to do the dishes more in my entire life. Although I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, I am also hoping that someone else has walked through this layer of Hell themselves and can lead me to some answers. via /r/Parenting http://bit.ly/31Rw3HF
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