OP here. Oddly, painting is something my child can do and does do calmly for a long period of time. Painting and coloring are the only things that she will sit for and she sits much longer than the other kids. But she is aggressive and doesn't understand sharing or taking turns. I do work with her and I do clean up her messes (in reference to the beans comment above - I was right there and she is too fast for me). |
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OP - do you let her paint at home? I would be working on setting up lots of 1:1 playdates at your house and hopefully 1:1 she will do better and those moms will reciprocate.
If there are others in your playgroup that you think she would get along with, now they'll be free 3-5 when it's convenient for you. |
Your "as much as I can" comment is the problem, OP. The reality is that the rest of us would stay on top of our child as much as necessary so they didn't affect the experience for anyone else. Even if that means we literally hover over the child every single second that they're there, even if all the other parents are sitting around relaxing. If we couldn't do that for whatever reason then we just wouldn't go. It comes down to the entitlement attitude again - you're not entitled to attend. Nobody owes you that (least of all the host). If it's not a beneficial arrangement for them, then they shouldn't do it. It sounds like they have a great playgroup with enough kids to attend already. Have you tried to seek out special needs groups in your area? Groups with a lot of kids with ADHD or who are on the spectrum might be a better fit for your child. They may also struggle with impulse control and/or navigating interactions, so your child could fit in a lot more. Sometimes there are even designated "social skills" groups for kids who really struggle with it. Then everyone is on the same page with expectations, you're not negatively affecting anyone, and yet your child can still play with other kids. |
| How did you join this group, OP? |
| Well, you don't know if she moved it because she didn't want your child there. But either way, regardless of her motive, it worked better for her to have it at the other time and since she hosts it, that's her right. So your choices are either; (1) see if you can get your kid to nap at a different time. She's 2.5, not an infant; or (2) find or start a playgroup at a time that works better for you. |
OP already knows that they don't want her child there, even if it was "simply a nice coincidence" about the schedule change. Even if she could get her child on a more usual toddler nap schedule then I don't think she should try to get into the group again. |
Well, it wasn't perfect for the host, and since she's the one hosting it, she has every right to move it. If you want a 3-5 playgroup, start one someplace - a park, a common room in a rec center. |
Oh, for the love of Ducks! Nice Host moved it for a few weeks because her daughter’s music class was cancelled. OP herself said that Nice Host’s child was often just waking up when the playgroup started normally. What a nightmare - hosting a bunch of unrelated toddlers as soon as your own child wakes up from nap. Again, another reason the woman deserves a medal. It was simply the only time Nice Host Had free (due to music being in the morning), and nothing to do with OP. OP has some kind of weird obsession with this woman, although she continues to invite her and allow her daughter to participate, despite her questionable behaviour. |
Op’s child does not have special needs, unless I missed that. And 2yos are not diagnosed with ADHD. Neither are there many 2yos diagnosed with autism. I haven’t heard of a social skills group for 2yos. |
| OP, if your child does not have documented developmental delays, you may want to get your child tested. You also need to host in your home and share costs/responsibilities. I'd get sick of a freeloader too. |
Because she's the host mother and preferred the mornings. |
| Ugh. |
I have a moms meetup that's normally in the afternoons that we moved to the mornings because of Spring Break for scheduling reasons (older kids being in half day camps). It actually doesn't strike me as weird at all that the mom would rather have her mornings filled and so moved the playgroup for 3 weeks when her mornings opened up. TBH I have never encountered a 2.5 year old that naps at 11 am in my entire life. BUT, I still don't understand why you couldn't go to the first hour or so of playgroup at least if you're so wedded to it? If your 2.5 year old seriously can't handle having her nap time pushed 15 or so minutes, something is up. How do you handle travel/daylight savings/getting stuck in traffic?Having a kid that unresilient is going to make starting preschool a nightmare... |
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I think 10-12 is generally a better time for most.
But perhaps you can try to set up a 3-5 standing play date at a playground. It’s getting warmer now. |
OP, I have a similarly-tempermented child and found the techniques in this book to be invaluable: https://www.amazon.com/Setting-Limits-Strong-Willed-Revised-Expanded/dp/0770436595 She is doing much better now that we have implemented them, and she does well in a group environment. Best of luck. |