Handling Your Own Child in FCC

[sarahhardy2711]

Hi Everyone. I'm new to this board and have just started doing in-home childcare. Right now I only have 1 DCG who's 4 as well as my 2 yr old son. They both are only children and don't share well, but since the DCG is older she doesn't want much to do with my 2 yr old. I'm curious to see how others handle this situation as well as discipline for bad behavior(name calling, bullying, etc). I have 2 more kids starting in the next couple weeks and she will be the oldest, so I think she's really gonna hate it then!

Also you ladies are awesome and have really given me great advice and inspiration since I started lurking!

[nannyde]

This is the only generation in the history of mankind that would think that there is an age difference between a two year old and a four year old. They are VERY close in age and should play beautifully together. Give the four year old NOTHING better to do than play with the two year old. Don't spend a minute playing with her or doing activities that are adult generated or adult paricipating. No tv... no arts and crafts.... no school ...just those two playing. If you get older toddlers or prechoolers continue to have this four year old ONLY play with the youngest kid. She will get an amazing education from the two year old. She will learn to be the entertainer not the one who is entertained. That will be an amazing gift to the four year old.

ALL my kids can easily play with any age kid at any time and transition instantly when asked to. We do it like the olden days when kids were kids and two three years differnce is no difference at all.

[bunnyslippers]

This is the only generation in the history of mankind that would think that there is an age difference between a two year old and a four year old. They are VERY close in age and should play beautifully together. Give the four year old NOTHING better to do than play with the two year old. Don't spend a minute playing with her or doing activities that are adult generated or adult paricipating. No tv... no arts and crafts.... no school ...just those two playing. If you get older toddlers or prechoolers continue to have this four year old ONLY play with the youngest kid. She will get an amazing education from the two year old. She will learn to be the entertainer not the one who is entertained. That will be an amazing gift to the four year old.

ALL my kids can easily play with any age kid at any time and transition instantly when asked to. We do it like the olden days when kids were kids and two three years differnce is no difference at all.

Exactly how I feel as well!

[rmc20021]

I had a 2 and 4 year old who were the only ones here for a while and they were like best buddies. They played BEAUTIFULLY together. The 2 yo really matured a lot during that time.

Now, with that being said, when I was doing daycare when my own kids were little (20 years ago) I would often video tape the kids and was surprised at times by some of the things I'd see on there which I was not aware. Once I was taping and even though I watched the video shortly afterwards, I was still biased as to what I had seen.

Years later I watched the same video and was shocked at the way I saw my own dear little 3 yo daughter behaving. I had always tried to be so careful to not make any differences in the way I treated the dck's and my own, or to let my own kids get away with things I didn't allow the dck's do. I was angry at myself as I saw my own daughter pushing and yelling at another child and realized years later that I must have been more blind to it than what I'd thought.

[Play Care]

I had a 2 and 4 year old who were the only ones here for a while and they were like best buddies. They played BEAUTIFULLY together. The 2 yo really matured a lot during that time.

Now, with that being said, when I was doing daycare when my own kids were little (20 years ago) I would often video tape the kids and was surprised at times by some of the things I'd see on there which I was not aware. Once I was taping and even though I watched the video shortly afterwards, I was still biased as to what I had seen.

Years later I watched the same video and was shocked at the way I saw my own dear little 3 yo daughter behaving. I had always tried to be so careful to not make any differences in the way I treated the dck's and my own, or to let my own kids get away with things I didn't allow the dck's do. I was angry at myself as I saw my own daughter pushing and yelling at another child and realized years later that I must have been more blind to it than what I'd thought.