The half-year disequilibrium or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

one of my favourite pics - I love how he looks like he's protecting her

I've wanted to write this post for a while now (about a month is awhile for me) and every time I think I'm going to write it, my kids are SUPER sweet and I tell myself I'm imagining the crazy behaviour.

It happened again tonight - I was having supper and then I hear Connor saying to Kendra, "Kenna, I LOVE Mummy" when an hour ago he was telling me (rudely), "NO! I don't LIKE YOU!" and other such things.

Long-time readers will remember how we went through this business last year at our photo shoot and also generally.

It sorted itself out when we were on holiday for 10 days in January so I thought it was just a quality time thing and because we had concentrated quality time, we were all good.

Well, when he started getting rude a few weeks ago and all, "I DON"T LIKE YOU!", I first resorted to my normal tactics (ignoring but telling him that's not good manners, blah blah blah) and after a few too many incidents, I remembered...

OH MY WORD - same thing's happening, same time of year.

So I sat down to google and instead opened google reader and found this post on my favourite parenting blog, Ask Moxie. And then I remembered this one too.
 
Apparently the half-year crazy is a bonafide phenomenon! Some bits grow too fast, some not quite as fast so they go into disequilibrium (in a very brief nutshell).

So I suspect the emotions are lagging a bit because he gets very frustrated and cries at the drop of a hat - DADDY!!!!! DADDY! Daddy! No, not YOU. I don't WANT you. And so on.

It's so hard. Especially when the switch to the good version of Connor is so beautiful. So loving. So kind. So articulate. So charming. And in a few seconds he changes.

Connor is an extrovert so anything he thinks he says (or shouts). Kendra also has some out-of-character behaviour but I don't see it that much and she's only said she doesn't like me about 3 times, whereas I can hear it 3 times in 30 minutes from Connor.

Here's the thing that makes me feel very alone with parenting:

Nobody else's kids around me display these symptoms. I promise you - I conducted my own little unofficial focus group and asked everyone around me (about 8 - 10 different parents) if their kids displayed any disequlibrium behaviour and everyone looked at me like I'm cuckoo. I obviously didn't call it that!

So now I've just told myself I'm 1) the only one being honest (the same thing I told myself when {seemingly} our kids were the only ones not sleeping through and 2) I'm the only  South African identifying with Ask Moxie readers. The chances are slim but whatever!

I then went to a link that Moxie referenced and I downloaded the Kindle sample of a book. These people write books for every age of child.

Guess what the 3-year-old's one is called? Your three-year-old: friend or enemy.

Yesssss! That's exactly what it's like. I'm either his friend or his enemy.

I don't like you or I love you, Mummy.

I must say, I hear (and feel) the "don't like you" statements more than the love you ones.

I read the whole sample and said YES YES YES all the way through so I will be buying the book in January because I can't wait to read it.

So tell me, and I promise, you don't have to lie to make me feel better, how have your kids displayed half-year disequilibrium behaviour? 

PS I definitely don't want any rude comments. I get enough from Connor :)