Can One. Little. 2.5. Year Old.....

[melilley]

change the whole dynamic of the group?

YES! I have a 2.5 year old dcb who will be 3 in Sept. and has been with me since he was 18 months. He always seems to be the one to start every little argument, scream, cry, yell, everything. He was gone for a week last month and almost every day was great! Then he is gone today and it has been wonderful! He is gone the rest of the week and all next week. Let's see if it's calmer for these upcoming days. I feel really bad, but I have noticed that this one child really changes (for the most part) how some of the other children act. Don't get me wrong, he has loving moments, but he's definitely the antagonizer of the group. He never slows down, scream/cries, is rough outside, can't really talk (so I think that's part of it), but does take a great nap everyday.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I have had one like that for 28 months now. It has never changed. It is always very quiet (argument wise) when he is absent, for the most part.

[AmyKidsCo]

Oh heck yes! I've got 2 one year olds, 3 two year olds, a 4 and a 5 yr old. No matter who's missing, when one is gone the whole group dynamic changes.